Listen to Story A rare virus known as "sloth fever" has been identified in 21 travellers returning to the U.S. from Cuba, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Sloth fever, named after its initial discovery in South American sloths, and labelled a "mysterious threat" by the Lancet , is an emerging threat by health experts. The virus, formally known as oropouche fever, has recently claimed the lives of two women in their twenties in Brazil . It is believed to be transmitted by mosquitoes and midges and has now been detected in Europe, with 19 cases reported this year—12 in Spain, five in Italy, and two in Germany.
The virus spreads primarily through insect bites from mosquitoes or midges that have fed on the blood of sloths, monkeys, or birds. It shares similarities with dengue fever and poses a particular risk to pregnant women. Symptoms typically include fever, headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, chills, and sensitivity to light.
The virus spreads primarily through insect bites from mosquitoes or midges that have fed on the blood of sloths, monkeys, or birds. (Photo: Getty Images) In rare cases, it can lead to severe conditions like meningitis and encephalitis. Although most people recover without lasting effects, the virus could be dangerous to unborn babies, potentially leading to stillbirth, miscarriage, or birth defects.
HOW DOES SLOTH FEVER AFFECT PREGNANT WOMEN? Currently, there is no vaccine or cure for sloth fever. Prevention is challenging, as conventional methods like using mosquito nets may not be effective due to the small size of the midges. Anyone who has sloth fever could fully recover , as per health experts.
But not a lot is known about the emerging virus. CDC has cautioned that severe cases of the virus may lead to neuroinvasive diseases like meningitis. On July 17, the UN issued a warning about the potential health risks to unborn babies if a mother contracts the virus during pregnancy.
Possible instances of mother-to-child transmission in Brazil are currently under investigation. Among the cases being studied are four newborns with microcephaly (an abnormally small head) who tested positive for antibodies against oropouche virus, though they were negative for other viruses like Zika. Besides this, there have been reports of a woman who experienced a stillbirth in June after contracting the virus, as well as another who suffered a miscarriage.
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