A DEBILITATING 'sloth' fever has been discovered in the US for the first time. The Oropouche virus has been reported in 11 people in Florida , according to the state health department. All cases had recently returned from travelling in Cuba - where the disease is spreading for the first time.
It comes just days after Europe reported its first cases of the bug in Spain, Italy and Germany. The disease is mainly spread by mosquito and midgey bites and originates in sloths - hence the nickname: 'sloth fever'. Currently, there is no evidence to suggest the virus can spread between people.
Read more on 'sloth' fever There are also no vaccines to treat the virus, which comes from the same family of diseases that includes Zika virus and Dengue Fever . Health chiefs at the US Centre for Disease Control (CDCD) have warned pregnant people to reconsider non-essential travel to Cuba. It comes as new data suggests the virus could lead to miscarriage and/or birth defects in pregnant women.
"If travel is unavoidable, pregnant travellers should strictly follow Oropouche virus prevention recommendations to prevent insect bites during travel," it said. Most read in Health More than 8,000 cases of Oropouche were reported in Latin America between January 1 and August 1. So far, the majority of cases have been reported in Brazil , but the virus has also been detected in Bolivia , Colombia and Peru .
Cuba’s Ministry of Public Health of Cuba first reported Oropouche cases on May 27. Since then a t.