UK doctors have been put on high alert following warnings about a lethal virus spreading in popular British holiday destinations like the Canary Islands. Known as the oropouche virus or sloth fever, this mosquito-borne illness has no known cure. The US Centers for Disease Control and the British Medical Journal have issued alerts about the virus, which has seen more than 8,000 cases reported globally this year, including three new cases in the Canary Islands.
The BMJ reported that the virus has caused its first ever deaths this year, highlighting a significant rise in infections. Concerns have been raised by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) after at least 19 Europeans, including individuals in Spain and Germany, were affected in recent months. In the Canary Islands, a 36-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman from Tenerife, along with a 52-year-old man from Gran Canaria, have been identified as the latest cases.
Dr. Enny Paixao from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine mentioned various factors contributing to the outbreak, including surveillance, climate change, and alterations to the virus itself. Climate change may be facilitating the spread of the oropouche virus, impacting transmission rates through changes in temperature and precipitation. Carolina Goncalves, a superintendent pharmacist at Pharmica, clarified that while the virus is nicknamed “sloth fever” due to its presence in sloth-inhabited areas, it is transmitted through insect bites.
Symptoms of the oropouche virus typically include rash, headache, muscle or joint pain, and weakness, with a fever developing three to eight days post-infection. Dr. Paixao emphasised the potential risks the virus poses to unborn foetuses, as there are currently no specific antiviral treatments or vaccines available. The situation remains critical as authorities continue to monitor and assess the threat posed by this deadly virus.