OROPOUCHE VIRUS ALERT:WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW!

more than 20 people returning to the United States from Cuba have been infected with a virus transmitted by bugs in recent months federal health officials said Tuesday they all had oropo virus disease also known as sloth fever none have died and there is no evidence that it's spreading in the United States but officials are warning us doctors to be on the lookout for the infection in Travelers coming from Cuba and South America oroo is a virus that is native to forested tropical areas it was first identified in 1955 in a 24-year-old Forest worker on the island of Trinidad and was named for a nearby Village and wetlands it has sometimes been called sloth fever because scientists first investigating the virus found it in a three- toad sloth and believed sloths were important in its spread between insects and animals the virus is spread to humans by small biting flies called and by some types of mosquitoes humans have become fected while visiting forested areas and are believed to be responsible for helping the virus make its way to towns and cities but person-to-person transmission hasn't been documented beginning late last year the virus was identified as the cause of large outbreaks in Amazon regions where it was known to exist as well as in new areas in South America and the Caribbean about 8,000 locally acquired cases have been reported in Bolivia Brazil Colombia Cuba and Peru some Travelers have been diagnosed with it in the US and Europe the US Centers for Disease Control and prevention on Tuesday said 21 us cases have been reported so far 20 in Florida and one in New York all of whom had been in Cuba European health officials previously said they had found 19 cases nearly all among Travelers symptoms can seem similar to other tropical diseases like D zika or malaria fever headaches and muscle aches are common and some Infected people also suffer diarrhea nausea vomiting or rash some patients suffer recurring symptoms and one in 20 can suffer more severe symptoms like bleeding menitis and incilius it is rarely fatal though there are recent reports of deaths in two healthy young people in Brazil there are no vaccines to prevent infections and no medicines available to treat the symptoms in Brazil officials are investigating reports that infections might be passed on from a pregnant woman to a feale us a potentially frightening echo of what was seen during zika outbreaks nearly a decade ago the CDC has recommended that pregnant women avoid non-essential travel to Cuba and suggested all travelers take steps to prevent bug bites such as using insect repellants and wearing long sleeved shirts and long pants for more trending news please like subscribe and share with a friend appreciate the support and see you next time on trender line