European health authorities are warning travellers to South America and the Caribbean about the risk of infection with an untreatable disease that is thought to be especially dangerous for pregnant women and unborn babies.
Febrile illness presents risk to pregnancies
The Oropouche virus or “OROV” originates in sloths and is spread to humans by midges and some mosquitos. Its symptoms are similar to those of dengue fever, chikungunya or Zika virus, causing “acute febrile illness with headache, nausea, vomiting, muscle and joint pains, and occasionally more severe symptoms,” the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) says.
While “the prognosis for recovery is good and fatal outcomes are extremely rare,” the agency warns that “there are no vaccines to prevent or specific medication to treat OROV disease” and that “recent data indicate that OROV infection in pregnant women may lead to miscarriage, abortion and/or developmental problems, and deformities of the foetus”. These include microcephaly, a condition characterised by an abnormally small head, often because the brain is small and abnormally developed.
Over 8,000 cases and 19 in Europe
Outbreaks of OROV disease to date have occurred in several countries across South America, Central America and the Caribbean, with over 8,000 cases in 2024 reported in Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, and more recently, Cuba – which seems to be the root of the cases now being found in the Europe Union. 18 of the 19 cases so far imported to the EU bloc (where Spain has seen 12, Italy 5, and Germany 2), were associated with travel to Cuba. The other infected European had visited Brazil.
No person-to-person OROV transmission has yet been reported, except six possible cases of mother-to-child infection during pregnancy recently reported by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. This makes it highly unlikely that an outbreak could occur in Europe, especially since the species of midge that is the disease’s main vector (Culicoides paraensis midge) does not exist on the continent.
“Moderate” risk for travellers in Americas
With the usually good prognosis for recovery, the impact is assessed as low. But the risk of infection for EU/EEA citizens travelling to OROV-epidemic countries in the Americas is “moderate”, according to the ECDC.
Travellers are advised to take “personal protective measures” to avoid being bitten by insects when visiting affected areas. These include the use of a suitable repellent, covering skin with long-sleeved shirts and trousers and using fine mesh nets that have been treated with insecticide when resting, as well as ensuring accommodation has proper screens on windows and doors.
