Despite its name, sloth fever is transmitted by mosquitos, not rabid sloths. The disease, scientifically called the Oropouche virus, has entered the United States. So far, 21 people returning from Cuba have contracted the virus.
Fortunately, officials have reported no fatalities from the potentially fatal virus. Sloth fever is traced to the Amazon and has been found in South America and the Caribbean. Basically, sloths as well as some birds are natural carriers of the virus. A mosquito or midge bites a sloth and then spreads the disease to humans.
"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, told Fox News Digital."There is some risk to the fetus in terms of birth defects."
There have been reports of sloth fever in Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, and Cuba. So far, there's been 8,000 cases worldwide between Jan. 1 and Aug. 1, 2024. Of that number, two people have died.
"Although travel-associated cases have been identified in the United States, no evidence of local transmission currently exists within the United States or its territories," the CDC said. "As testing and surveillance for Oropouche virus disease increase in the Americas, reports of cases from additional countries are expected."
Sloth Fever Symptoms
As far as symptoms, the virus can be potentially deadly. It seems to attack the head. Symptoms include headaches, dizziness, confusion as well as vomiting, light sensitivity, lethargy, and stiff neck.
"Around 4% of patients develop [neurologic symptoms] after the first febrile illness," Siegel said. "There are no vaccines for prevention and no treatments."
The CDC recommends avoiding mosquitos and midges. "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 Pan American Health Organization advised.
Given its rarity in the United States, there is also some fear that doctors may not know what the disease is.
"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.
