Oropouche Virus: An Emerging Arboviral Threat in Cuba and the Need for Active Surveillance

Abstract

Oropouche virus (OROV) is an arboviral pathogen historically confined to the Amazon basin that has undergone an unprecedented geographic expansion across Latin America and the Caribbean since 2023, driven by a novel reassortant lineage with enhanced replicative fitness. Between January and August 2024, more than 8,000 laboratory-confirmed cases were reported in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru, and for the first time in Cuba, where autochthonous transmission was confirmed in May 2024 and subsequently spread to several provinces. Beyond its classically self-limited febrile presentation, accumulating evidence has linked OROV infection during pregnancy to miscarriage, stillbirth, and congenital microcephaly through vertical transmission, echoing the pattern previously observed with Zika virus. Recent seroprevalence data from Havana further suggest substantial underdetection of infections relative to molecular surveillance, with concurrent circulation of dengue virus. This brief communication reviews the recent epidemiology, clinical spectrum, and emerging maternal-fetal risks of Oropouche fever, with emphasis on its introduction and spread in Cuba, and discusses the implications for community-based epidemiological surveillance, vector control, and the clinical differential diagnosis with dengue and other arboviruses circulating in the region. Strengthening integrated surveillance systems and clinician awareness is essential to detect early transmission, protect pregnant populations, and prevent Oropouche fever from becoming a silently underrecognized public health threat in Cuba and the wider Caribbean.