What is 'sloth fever' and should the UK be worried about outbreak?

An emerging virus known as 'sloth fever' has raised concerns after the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control confirmed 19 imported cases within the European Union, marking the first such instances.

The oropouche virus (OROV), an RNA arbovirus, was first identified in the village of Oropouche in Trinidad and Tobago back in 1955.

According to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the primary transmission to humans is through the bite of infected biting midges, although certain mosquito species are also carriers of the virus.

READ MORE: First cases of 'sloth' virus that has killed people in their 20s detected in Europe as experts fear 'unstoppable' spread

In July, the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) issued an epidemiological alert due to a surge in reported cases of the virus across five countries Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Cuba, and Colombia.

According to the Lancet medical journal, the virus has a reservoir in pale-throated sloths, but also non-human primates and birds. Nonetheless the possible link to sloths seems to have caught on.

Explaining the name, Carolina Goncalves, superintendent pharmacist at Pharmica, said: "The term 'sloth fever' is a colloquial name that has emerged due to the virus being found in areas where sloths, which are known to carry a range of parasites and pathogens, are present."

She added: "The name is relatively misleading as it is spread by insect bites, not by direct contact with sloths."

Here's everything you need to know about the outbreak including who is at risk and the possible symptoms.

Dr Enny Paixao, an associate professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, commented on the recent surge in cases: "Several factors may explain the