What is Chapare Virus, the new confirmed Infection that can cause fever like Ebola?

Team Udayavani, Nov 18, 2020, 11:16 AM IST

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently discovered a rare virus in Bolivia. The virus in question is capable of human-to-human transmission, and belong to a family of viruses that can cause haemorrhagic fevers, such as Ebola.

In La Paz, the Capital of Bolivia two people contracted the virus in 2019 and had transmitted it to three healthcare workers because one patient and two medical professionals worked got severely infected and died.

The Chapare virus is in the arenavirus family. Arenaviruses are usually spread to people through direct contact with infected rodents or indirectly through the urine or feces of an infected rodent. The symptoms include, fever, headache, joint and muscle pain, pain behind the eyes, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, bleeding gums, rash and irritability

According to CDC, There is currently no treatment for CHHF. Supportive therapy is important for recovery from and survival of CHHF. This includes, maintenance of hydration, sedation, pain relief and transfusions (when necessary)

Patients who recover from infections with arenaviruses may continue to shed virus in blood, saliva, urine, or semen for months after they no longer have symptoms

Researchers revealed that there had been two reported outbreaks of the infection in the past. The first one occurred in 2003 Chapare Province, Bolivia, which resulted in one fatal case. The second outbreak occurred in 2019 in Caranavi Province of the South American nation and resulted in five confirmed cases, three of which were fatal.