Health
'Zika-like' mosquito-borne virus has spread into Europe, health officials warn
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 the Oropouche virus, which means they act as hosts of the disease. (iStock)
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.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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