Written By: Muskan Gupta | Published : August 18, 2025 4:44 PM IST
Deadly Virus Hits UK: A fatal malaria-like "sloth virus" has been found in Britain for the first time, prompting the UK's health agency to advise people experiencing symptoms to seek immediate medical attention. According to data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), three cases of the Oropouche virus were reported in Britain between January and June of this year. All three cases were people who had returned to the UK after visiting Brazil during a period of widespread viral illness.
The watchdog indicates that the tropical disease can exist primarily in South America, giving fevers, headaches, and eye pain, and in a rare instance, giving meningitis and death. The UK Health and Safety Authority stated, "If a person becomes unwell with symptoms such as high fever, chills, headache, joint pain and muscle aches following travel to affected areas, they should seek urgent medical advice."
Oropouche virus, also known as the "sloth virus" or the "sloth fever", is an arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus). Its discovery occurred in 1955 in Trinidad and Tobago and has triggered outbreaks in many South and Central American territories, especially the Amazon.
Despite its nickname "sloth virus" or "sloth fever", humans do not get directly infected by sloths. The viruses exist naturally in sloths, non-human primates, birds, and other wildlife they act as reservoirs and they are transferred to humans by insect bites.
Oropouche fever is the name of the caused illness by the Oropouche virus and has the characteristics of other tropical fevers like dengue. Common symptoms that develop 4-8 days following a bite comprise:
The illness takes approximately 56 days to 7 days in most people. However, there are chances that the symptoms may reoccur. Rarely, it may cause neurological complications such as meningitis or encephalitis.
What exists now is:
Because it has no cure, the important initiative is in prevention:
Follow TheHealthSite.com for all the latest health news and developments from around the world.
Common symptoms include high fever, headache, muscle pain, nausea, and sometimes rash.
It refers to Oropouche fever, a mosquito-borne viral illness first detected in tropical regions.
