Warnings: Oropouche and West Nile Fever and the Mpox Virus

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has urgently issued a risk assessment of Oropouche fever, detailing 19 cases in the Old Continent. These cases, all identified as travelers who have visited Cuba or Brazil and returned to Europe, underscore the pressing need for preventive measures. Meanwhile, two fatalities from Oropouche fever have been reported in the Brazilian state of Bahia, with no such deaths documented in the global scientific literature. The disease, common in Latin America and the Caribbean, shares symptoms with the dengue virus and is transmitted through the bites of infected midges and mosquitoes.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is currently investigating the potential declaration of a global emergency due to the escalating spread of mpox, caused by the monkeypox virus, in Africa. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported the detection of the mpox virus in 10 African countries this year, with the Democratic Republic of Congo accounting for over 96% of all cases and deaths.

Experts are warning of a potential outbreak of West Nile virus in the U.S. after the first cases were reported very early this summer. At least 80 cases have been detected in at least 23 states so far, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local government reports. West Nile virus is the leading cause of all mosquito-borne infections in the U.S. One in 150 infections leads to serious, sometimes fatal disease. The severity of this situation cannot be overstated.