Florida reports 30 cases linked to Cuba – NBC 6 South Florida

At least 30 people returning to the United States from Cuba have become infected with an insect-borne virus in recent months, Florida health officials said. All of them suffered from oropouche virus disease, also known as sloth fever.

None of those infected have died and there is no evidence that the virus is spreading in the United States. But authorities are warning U.S. doctors to be aware of the risk of infection in travelers from Cuba and South America.

Here's a look at the disease and what triggered the warning:

What is the Oropouche virus?

Oropouche is a virus native to tropical forest areas. It was first discovered in 1955 in a 24-year-old forest worker on the island of Trinidad and named after a nearby village and wetlands.

The disease is also called sloth fever because scientists first studied the virus and discovered it in a three-toed sloth, and assumed that sloths played a role in spreading the virus between insects and animals.

How does the Oropouche virus spread?

The virus is transmitted to humans by small biting flies called midges and by some species of mosquitoes. People have become infected while staying in forested areas and are believed to be responsible for spreading the virus to cities. However, human-to-human transmission has not been documented.

How many cases were there?

Since late last year, the virus has been identified as the cause of large outbreaks of disease in Amazon regions where it was known, as well as in new areas in South America and the Caribbean. About 8,000 locally transmitted cases have been reported in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba and Peru.

Some travelers in the United States and Europe have been diagnosed with the disease. The Florida Department of Health reported 30 cases of travel-associated oropouche fever in 2024. All of these were related to travel to Cuba.

European health authorities had previously said they had identified 19 cases, almost all among travelers.

Miami-Dade County led the group with 14 cases. Broward County reported one. Hillsborough County reported the second most with five cases.

What are the symptoms and treatments?

Symptoms can be similar to those of other tropical diseases such as dengue fever, Zika or malaria. Fever, headache and muscle pain are common, and some infected people also suffer from diarrhea, nausea, vomiting or a rash.

Some patients experience recurrent symptoms, and one in 20 patients may experience more serious symptoms such as bleeding, meningitis and encephalitis. The disease is rarely fatal, but there have been recent reports of the deaths of two healthy young people in Brazil.

There are no vaccines to prevent infection and no medications to treat symptoms.

Are there any other concerns?

In Brazil, authorities are investigating reports that the infection could be transmitted from a pregnant woman to the fetus – a potentially frightening parallel to the Zika outbreaks nearly a decade ago.

The CDC recommends that pregnant women avoid non-essential travel to Cuba and advises all travelers to take steps to protect themselves from insect bites, such as using insect repellent and wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants.