‘Sloth fever’ outbreak strikes traveling Americans

Oropouche virus, which is more commonly known as “sloth fever,” has stricken more than 20 Americans in recent weeks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . All had recently returned to the United States from Cuba.

More than 8,000 cases of the virus have been reported across South America, the CDC reported .

On Aug. 16, the CDC released a health advisory on the virus, recommending that travelers be tested and observed for signs and symptoms.

According to the advisory notice, Brazilian authorities have reported two deaths connected to the virus — the first two in the nearly 70 years since scientists discovered it.

The virus has not been known to transfer from human to human, but authorities are now investigating vertical transmission: the passing of the virus from a pregnant woman to her fetus.

What is sloth fever and where did it come from?

Oropouche virus, named after the village in Trinidad and Tobago in which it was discovered, is typically transferred through the bites of small insects called midges.

According to the CDC , it most commonly results in fever, severe headache, chills, and muscle and joint pain.

It was nicknamed “sloth fever” because scientists found it in the blood sample of a three-toed sloth in 1960, five years after the virus was first discovered, per The Associated Press .

How to prevent sloth fever

As with Eastern equine encephalitis , there is neither a vaccine nor a treatment for Oropouche virus.

Health officials recommend taking measures to prevent bug bites in order to avoid contracting the virus.

Those measures can include wearing pants and long-sleeved shirts, applying insect repellent and, at the present time, avoiding travel to South America and the Caribbean.