With two cases of Oropouche virus recently confirmed in neighbouring Barbados, Saint Lucians are being advised to pay attention to their surroundings to reduce breeding sites for biting midges, which transmit the disease.
The Oropouche virus disease was first discovered in 1955. Since December of 2023, there has been an increase in the number of cases in South America and the Caribbean, including areas where the virus was not previously detected.
Lance Peterson, Operations Manager at FDL Pest Solutions, says one of the main ways to manage the fly-like vector which spreads the disease is by reducing breeding sites in the immediate surroundings, as midges can fly up to two kilometres. This includes reducing standing water sources, excess thatch in lawns, and other organic waste from landscape maintenance activities such as wet or damp leaf litter and grass clippings; and healthy waste disposal practices.
“The focus should be on source reduction,” Peterson noted, advising residents to identify and eliminate areas conducive for breeding, removing transient and open water sources such as clogged roof guttering, and covered sidewalk drains.
Peterson identified instances where improper disposal of organic waste, including livestock waste, and poor environmental maintenance can encourage breeding by midges and pose serious health risks to citizens.
“If you have drains that are drying up, if you have roof guttering with debris and standing water, silt build-up in drains, ponded water on your lawn, heavy leaf litter and other plant waste piled up on or near your property where moisture can accumulate, they provide a conducive condition for midge breeding,” warned the operations manager at FDL Pest Control Solutions, which promotes sustainable pest management.
Between January 1 and November 25, approximately 11,634 confirmed Oropouche cases, including two deaths, have been reported in the Americas.
There is currently no specific treatment or vaccines for Oropouche virus and management is based on observed signs and symptoms.
Symptoms are similar to those that occur in other diseases, such as dengue and chikungunya, and the cause of infection is often misdiagnosed. Those symptoms include fever, headache, joint pain, muscle pain, chills, nausea, vomiting and rash.
Most people recover on their own, but the disease can cause severe symptoms in some patients.
