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Cases of the Oropouche virus (OROV) emerging in Europe have health officials on high alert.

As of the end of July, 19 cases had been reported with 12 in Spain, five in Italy and two in Germany, per the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

The disease is typically spread through bites from mosquitoes and midges (small flies, particularly the Culicoides paraensis species), according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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Since first emerging in Trinidad and Tobago in 1955, the Oropouche virus has had “limited circulation” in regions of South America, particularly in forested areas.

Three-toed sloths and birds have been identified as “natural reservoirs” for Oropouche, which means they act as hosts of the disease.

“The virus doesn’t spread from person to person,” Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News and clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, confirmed to Fox News Digital.

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On Aug. 1, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued an epidemiological alert urging countries to “strengthen surveillance and implement laboratory diagnosis for the identification and characterization of cases … potentially associated with OROV infection.”

By the end of July, there were 8,078 confirmed cases of Oropouche virus in five countries, including Bolivia (356), Brazil (7,284, with two deaths), Colombia (74), Cuba (74) and Peru (290), as reported by the PAHO.

As of the end of July, 19 cases of the Oropouche virus had been reported in Europe, with 12 in Spain, five in Italy and two in Germany, per reports. (iStock)

“Experts fear that if the current outbreak of Oropouche fever expands further, it could overwhelm South America’s already stretched health care system,” according to an article published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases on Aug. 8.

The PAHO’s alert also warned of cases of the virus in Brazil that were transmitted from pregnant women to their fetuses in Brazil.

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“These cases are under investigation,” the CDC stated on its website, noting that the agency is working with PAHO and “other international partners” to assess potential risks the virus presents during pregnancy.

Siegel said, “There is some risk to the fetus in terms of birth defects.”

Symptoms of Oropouche

OROV, which is classified as an arbovirus, is often mistaken for other similar viruses, like Zika, dengue, chikungunya and malaria, according to the CDC.

Symptoms of the virus include fever, headache, muscle aches, stiff joints and chills.

Some may develop a rash that begins on the torso and spreads to other body parts.

Symptoms of the virus include fever, headache, muscle aches, stiff joints and chills. (iStock)

Symptoms usually begin within four to eight days of being bitten, and last for three to six days.

“Symptoms can abate and reoccur,” Siegel noted.

In severe cases, patients may develop meningitis, encephalitis or other “neuroinvasive” diseases, the CDC stated.

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For those patients, symptoms can include intense headaches, dizziness, confusion, nausea, vomiting, light sensitivity, lethargy, stiff neck and involuntary eye movements. 

“Around 4% of patients develop [neurologic symptoms] after the first febrile illness,” Siegel said.

Treatment and prevention

Most people who contract Oropouche will recover on their own without any long-term effects, the CDC stated.

“There are no vaccines for prevention and no treatments,” Siegel said.

The best means of prevention is to avoid bites from midges and mosquitoes, according to experts.

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“People are advised to take preventive measures, including the use of repellents, clothing that covers legs and arms, and fine mesh mosquito nets, and to take extra precautions during outbreaks, particularly for vulnerable groups such as pregnant women,” the PAHO advised in its alert.

Supportive care can include rest, fluids and medications to reduce fever and alleviate pain.

“Patients who develop more severe symptoms should be hospitalized for close observation and supportive treatment,” the CDC stated. (iStock)

“Patients who develop more severe symptoms should be hospitalized for close observation and supportive treatment,” the agency stated.

There have been “very few” deaths reported from Oropouche, the CDC noted.

Those who are experiencing symptoms and have risk factors can contact their local health department for testing.

“Clinicians in these areas where importation has occurred may not be familiar with this infection and need to be alert to its possibility,” Dr. Amesh Adalja, M.D., an infectious disease expert at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Baltimore, told Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital reached out to the CDC for comment.

When it comes to screen time and kids, less is more.

That’s according to a recent Denmark study led by Dr. Jesper Schmidt-Persson from the University of Southern Denmark. It looked at the effects of reduced screen media exposure on youth mental health.

Eighty-nine families with a total of 181 children and teens were randomly assigned to one of two groups. 

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The first group had to surrender their smartphones and tablets for a two-week period, and limit use of other screen media — such as TV and computers — to three hours or less per week, not counting work or school. 

The control group did not have any limitations. 

The average ages of the children ranged from 4 to 17, averaging at 8 to 9 years old.

The families filled out a Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) at the end of the study period that gauged the children’s psychological symptoms.

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The groups that limited kids’ screen exposure saw improvements in mental health — particularly in how they managed their emotions and communicated with peers in helpful, considerate ways, plus a decrease in behavioral difficulties.

The findings were published in JAMA Network Open last month.

Fox News Digital reached out to the lead researcher for comment.

Risks of excess screen time for kids

In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General released an advisory related to youth social media use, emphasizing mental health concerns.

“There is evidence that children who have excessive screen time or access to social media at young ages are more likely to be depressed or anxious,” Dr. Joshua Stein, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and clinical director at PrairieCare in Minnesota, previously told Fox News Digital.

In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General released an advisory related to social media use among youth, emphasizing mental health concerns. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

The expert cited a Gallup research study from 2023, which noted that teens who were on screens more than five hours a day were 60% more likely to express suicidal thoughts or self-harm. 

“Those children were 2.8 times more likely to have a negative body view and 30% more likely to describe ‘a lot of sadness,’” added Stein, who was not involved in the Denmark research.

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Access to smartphones and social media increases the risk of cyberbullying, depression, sleep-related concerns, self-harm and body image issues, according to Stein.

“It can also lower self-esteem, and can socially pressure people to act outside their morals and family beliefs,” he added.

What’s a healthy amount of screen time for kids?

For kids ages 2 and older, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends capping screen time at two hours per day. 

It discourages any use of media for children younger than age 2, per its website.

For kids ages 2 and older, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a cap of screen time at two hours per day.  (iStock)

The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) outlines specific guidelines for each age group on its website.

For babies up to 18 months, it recommends limiting screen use to video chatting with an adult.

Between a child’s age of 18 month and 24 months, its guideline is to use screens only for educational programming.

For kids between 2 and 5 years of age, the AACAP recommends a limit of one hour per weekday and three hours on weekends for any non-educational screen time.

“To be honest and point blank, the least amount of screen time is healthy for children,” an expert told Fox News Digital. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

It does not specify an hourly limit for ages 6 and older, but does recommend encouraging healthy habits and limiting screen-based activities.

“To be honest and point blank, the least amount of screen time is healthy for children,” Dr. Zeyad Baker, a pediatric physician with Baker Health in New Jersey, previously told Fox News Digital.

He admitted that it gets trickier for parents to moderate use when kids need to do homework online — and he believes the quality of screen time comes into play when setting limits.

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“I think if you are doing family screen time on an educational level or if kids are using screen time to dig deep into valuable information and topics at a limited capacity, that is very different from watching and absorbing mindless content on the internet on a consistent basis,” Baker said.

An expert recommends only allowing children to have access to social media or certain television channels on the weekend and limiting screen time to academic-related content during the week. (Cyberguy.com)

He recommends only allowing children to have access to social media or certain television channels on the weekend and limiting screen time to academic-related content during the week.

Parents should not make screen time limitations come across as punishment, the expert noted.

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“Instead, they should encourage other activities, like going outside to play,” he said. 

“Not only is that good for physical health, by adding activity and increasing vitamin D levels, but it’s also great for their mental health.”