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Although the Covid-19 pandemic is not yet over, scientists are concerned about the possibility of new viruses emerging. A virus known as Chapare, for example, is among the potentially dangerous ones. This virus causes fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, bleeding gums, and skin rashes. Recently, researchers have found that Chapare can be spread from person to person through body fluids.
In 2019, at least five people were infected with the virus in Bolivia. These cases were recorded in an area near the Bolivian capital La Paz, and three of the infected died from the disease. Before that, health authorities had only registered one case in 2004 in the rural province of Chapare. Then, for 15 years, the virus seemed to have disappeared.
Although experts say the risks of the virus causing a pandemic are very low, there is concern about this reappearance in 2019 as three of the infected patients were healthcare workers and two of them died.
An important discovery
It was by analyzing a collection of body fluids brought back to a government laboratory in Santa Cruz that scientists spotted the first signs of the Chapare outbreak in 2019. According to information, the doctors who took the samples believed they had something to do. with it. to dengue, which is a mosquito-borne disease that causes internal bleeding and fever, just like the infection caused by Chapare. However, the lab found no traces of dengue in the samples, nor of other diseases such as yellow fever and Machupo, endemic to the region.
The lab then asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) via the APHO or the Latin American-centric Pan-American Health Organization to analyze the samples. The CDC researchers thus discovered fragments of genetic material called RNA and coming from Chapare in the samples in question.
After raiding the outbreak area, CDC scientists determined with the help of local experts that Chapare’s RNA was still present in the sperm of a survivor 168 days after being infected with the virus. Rodents gathered around the home of the first infected person in 2019 also showed signs of the virus.
Read also: Covid-19 may already have circulated in Italy in September 2019
Should we be worried about a new pandemic?
Scientists say the discovery of the Chapare virus is good news because it shows global health authorities are working together effectively to identify emerging diseases. They said new potentially infectious diseases have become increasingly common in recent years.
They also indicated that one should not worry about the spread of the Chapare virus as is the case with the SARS-CoV-2 virus currently in circulation. Unlike SARS-CoV-2 infection, symptoms of the disease appear soon after infection. Additionally, the virus does not spread in the air and requires direct contact with body fluid to spread from person to person. The risk, however, may arise from the fact that members of the medical staff caring for patients may become infected during the treatment period.
Read also: Bill Gates did not expect all the Covid-19 conspiracy theories
When it comes to infected rodents, scientists still don’t know if they can infect humans. They encourage people to follow the CDC guidelines for small disease carriers such as rodents. These guidelines include, for example, sealing holes inside and outside homes, cleaning potential food sources, and installing traps.
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