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Source: https://www.cubaheadlines.com/articles/283610
First European Case of Oropouche Fever Found in Tourist Returning from Cuba
Friday, June 14, 2024 by Michael Hernandez
talian authorities have identified the first European case of Oropouche fever in a patient who had recently traveled to Cuba. The Department of Infectious, Tropical, and Microbiological Diseases at Irccs Sacro Cuore Don Calabria in Negrar (Verona) reported the case to local health authorities in the Veneto region and to international surveillance and information services, according to a note published by the daily La Repubblica.
The patient, a 26-year-old Italian woman with no relevant medical history, visited Ciego de Ávila, Cuba, from May 12 to May 26, 2024, as part of a Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) trip, detailed the IO Foundation, which specializes in the study and control of infectious diseases globally.
Upon her return to Italy on May 26, the traveler exhibited concerning symptoms: diarrhea, general malaise, high fever, severe headache, nausea, joint pains, and retro-orbital pain, though she did not show any skin rash or exanthema.
Initially, dengue fever was suspected due to the observed leukopenia (lymphopenia), but rapid tests for dengue, as well as RT-PCR for dengue, Zika, and chikungunya viruses, came back negative. However, the patient reported that her family members in Cuba had similar symptoms, prompting doctors to conduct a specific RT-PCR for the Oropouche virus (OROV), which confirmed the infection.
The virus was isolated in the level 3 biosafety laboratory of the department, a crucial step for developing specific diagnostic tests and studies on the vector capacity (mosquitoes and midges) to carry the virus, which are also widespread in Italy...
First European Case of Oropouche Fever Found in Tourist Returning from Cuba
Friday, June 14, 2024 by Michael Hernandez
talian authorities have identified the first European case of Oropouche fever in a patient who had recently traveled to Cuba. The Department of Infectious, Tropical, and Microbiological Diseases at Irccs Sacro Cuore Don Calabria in Negrar (Verona) reported the case to local health authorities in the Veneto region and to international surveillance and information services, according to a note published by the daily La Repubblica.
The patient, a 26-year-old Italian woman with no relevant medical history, visited Ciego de Ávila, Cuba, from May 12 to May 26, 2024, as part of a Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) trip, detailed the IO Foundation, which specializes in the study and control of infectious diseases globally.
Upon her return to Italy on May 26, the traveler exhibited concerning symptoms: diarrhea, general malaise, high fever, severe headache, nausea, joint pains, and retro-orbital pain, though she did not show any skin rash or exanthema.
Initially, dengue fever was suspected due to the observed leukopenia (lymphopenia), but rapid tests for dengue, as well as RT-PCR for dengue, Zika, and chikungunya viruses, came back negative. However, the patient reported that her family members in Cuba had similar symptoms, prompting doctors to conduct a specific RT-PCR for the Oropouche virus (OROV), which confirmed the infection.
The virus was isolated in the level 3 biosafety laboratory of the department, a crucial step for developing specific diagnostic tests and studies on the vector capacity (mosquitoes and midges) to carry the virus, which are also widespread in Italy...