A virus that brought about a big outbreak in Brazil this 12 months can unfold from a pregnant lady to the fetus. The affirmation of a number of circumstances of transmission to the womb signifies that the virus, known as Oropouche, has a characteristic in widespread with two different insect-borne viruses, Zika and dengue.

A 40-year-old lady’s stillbirth this summer season in Brazil was linked to transmission of the virus from the lady to the fetus, researchers report October 30 within the New England Journal of Medication. (The World Well being Group defines a stillbirth because the dying of a fetus after 28 weeks of being pregnant.) The Brazilian Ministry of Well being has additionally confirmed two different deaths as a result of unfold of Oropouche virus to the womb: a stillbirth to a 28-year-old lady and a child born with congenital anomalies who died after 47 days. There are different potential circumstances of transmission to the womb being investigated.

As of mid-October, Brazil has reported greater than 8,000 circumstances of Oropouche fever because the starting of the 12 months. It’s the most important outbreak within the Americas this 12 months; a number of the different nations with circumstances embody Peru, with greater than 900, and Cuba, with greater than 500. Infections could cause fever, chills, joint ache and extreme complications, amongst different signs. The virus is unfold primarily by the chew of Culicoides paraensis midges, that are very small flies, and typically by mosquitoes. As with Zika, there aren’t any medicines to deal with Oropouche fever or vaccines that concentrate on the virus.

It’s additionally potential that Oropouche virus might be unfold by sexual transmission. A person identified with Oropouche fever this summer season nonetheless had useful virus in his semen 16 days after his signs began, a special group of researchers report within the December Rising Infectious Illnesses. If the power to transmit sexually proves true, it could be one other characteristic in widespread with Zika, which brought about a large outbreak of infections within the Western Hemisphere in 2015 and 2016 (SN: 12/13/17).

Brazil’s giant outbreak, the affirmation that the virus can unfold to the womb and hurt the fetus and the sudden deaths of two ladies of their twenties who developed Oropouche fever have introduced extra consideration to the not-well-understood virus.