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As the whole world remains focused on the Covid-19 outbreak in the context of a second wave, it appears that another virus is sneaking into our lives: this is the Chapare virus, known as Chapare hemorrhagic fever.
The researchers found that a deadly virus identified in Bolivia could spread among humans, raising serious concerns about possible outbreaks, according to findings presented at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) annual meeting.
In 2019, a mysterious and deadly disease observed only once in humans infected five people in Bolivia’s capital, La Paz. How can we detect and prevent future Chapare virus outbreaks? to know more # TropMed20 https://t.co/kPyOXlbKZc
– ASTMH (@ASTMH) November 17, 2020
Chapare virus, known as Chapare hemorrhagic fever (CHHF), was first identified in 2004 in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
Since then no case has been identified, but in June 2019 it reappeared near La Paz, the Bolivian capital. Several patients were taken to a city hospital for hemorrhagic fever and one of them died. Five of the medical personnel in contact with them were also infected and two died from the disease.
Symptoms boil down to fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, and bleeding gums.
Symptoms similar to dengue
And while this new virus isn’t wreaking havoc, health authorities are deeply concerned as this is the earliest description of human-to-human transmission of the Chapare virus. How could it spread?
“We now believe that many biological fluids can potentially carry the virus,” including blood, saliva or urine, said epidemiologist Caitlin Cossaboom, quoted by EurekAlert !.
Sexual transmission is also not to be excluded. In fact, the researchers detected viral RNA in a man’s sperm 168 days after infection.
Scientists believe Chapare virus may have been circulating in Bolivia for several years, but infected patients may have been misdiagnosed as having dengue, a common disease in the region that has similar symptoms.
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