The Ministry of Health, through the Epidemiology Department of the General Directorate of Public Health, informs the population of the detection of an outbreak of the Oropouche virus (OROV) in Darien province. So far, OROV infection was confirmed in 34 patients.
Prevention: The best way to protect yourself from Oropouche is to prevent insect bites 24/7 (also against other mosquito-borne diseases such as Dengue, Zika, Chikungunya, Malaria), see Factsheet.
Pregnant women and women planning to become pregnant should be provided with comprehensive information during pre-travel consultation on the Oropouche virus outbreaks and the potential of miscarriage, fetal malformation or death.
In the event of increased OROV transmission (= declared as an OROV outbreak according CDC Level 2 Travel Health Notice for Oropouche), the Swiss Expert Commission for Travel Medicine recommends:
- Pregnant women should re-consider non-essential travel
- If travel is unavoidable, strictly adhere to insect prevention measures (see LINK) and talk to your health care provider.
- To avoid sexual transmission: males should consider using condoms during travel and up to 2 months after return.