Chapare Virus — All you need to know about the deadly virus that causes hemorrhagic fever like Ebola
It’s been one whole year since the first coronavirus case was reported
in Wuhan, China – the pandemic that brought the world to a standstill.
And now, there’s another virus called Chapare that has re-emerged, one
that causes hemorrhagic fever like Ebola.
What is the Chapare Virus?
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in the US said that the
Chapare virus
falls in the arenavirus category and can spread through direct contact
with infected rodents or indirectly through the urine or feces
(droppings) of infected rodents. It can also spread through the infected
person’s body fluids.
“Because there are very few documented cases of Chapare in humans,
more research is needed to understand how the virus spreads and causes
illness,” said the CDC on its website.
The rare disease has been identified in Bolivia, with the first instance
being reported in 2003 in a rural province called Chapare (from where
it gets its name). In 2019, the virus had infected five people. While in
the 2003 outbreak, only one case was fatal, in the 2019 outbreak three
out of the five cases turned out to be fatal.
Symptoms of Chapare Virus
While there is limited information about the virus because of the
small number of infected cases so far, the incubation period for the
virus is known to be in the range of 4-21 days.
Here are the symptoms of the Chapare virus, according to the CDC:
- fever
- headache
- joint and muscle pain
- pain behind the eyes
- stomach pain
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- bleeding gums
- rash
- irritability
There is no specific cure yet for the virus.