2024-07-21 09:17:08
For the second time, Italy has reported cases of infection with a virus that has not yet been detected in Europe. Experts are concerned.
More and more viruses that are actually native to the tropics or subtropics are also appearing in Europe. These include dengue or West Nile fever, for example, and less frequently Chikungunya fever, and now cases of the Oropouche virus have been detected for the first time. Italy reported a case in Veneto a month ago. It was the first confirmed case in Europe. Read more about it here.
Two more infections were reported last week – this time in Lombardy. As “La Repubblica” reports, they are a Brazilian and a Cuban. They apparently brought the virus with them.
They showed the typical symptoms of an infection such as high fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, muscle and joint pain and skin rash. The virus was detected in the laboratory. Oropouche fever belongs to the arbovirus family. A spread to countries and regions where the virus was not previously endemic has already been observed in South America. It previously occurred mainly in the Amazon region, Panama and the Caribbean.
The virus is transmitted by the mosquito species Culicoides paraensis, which has not yet been found in Europe. However, experts are particularly concerned that this could happen at any time due to the global movement of goods and travel. In addition, the insects could find breeding conditions here in which they can cope well due to the rising temperatures as a result of climate change.
After the first case in Italy, extensive investigations were ordered to determine whether the vector mosquito was already in the country. The duration of the illness with Oropouche is usually about a week, but can also be several weeks. The complications can be serious, with meningitis being the most feared. There is currently no vaccination available.