Six Oropouche symptoms easily mistaken for flu after deadly virus first found in UK
British travellers are being urged to stay vigilant after the UK recorded its first-ever cases of Oropouche virus (OROV), a mosquito and midge-borne infection that can easily be mistaken for the flu.
According to the latest UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) report, three cases of Oropouche were identified in travellers returning from Brazil between January and June 2025. While relatively rare, the virus has been spreading across parts of South and Central America and the Caribbean, with Brazil reporting the largest outbreaks.
The infection typically causes high fever, chills, headache, joint pain, and muscle aches - symptoms that closely resemble common viral illnesses, making it easy to misdiagnose. It comes after the NHS warns mouth symptom could be life-shortening disease.
READ MORE: Urgent warning issued as dogs and foxes die after eating 'poison' in Devon park
Dr Philip Veal, Consultant in Public Health at UKHSA, stressed the importance of taking travel precautions. 'If a person becomes unwell with these symptoms following travel to affected areas, they should seek urgent medical advice,' he said.
Pregnant travellers, in particular, are advised to be cautious due to recent concerns about Oropouche virus infection during pregnancy.
Symptoms
Fever or chills
Severe headache
Muscle aches or joint pain
Nausea or vomiting
Rash
Diarrhoea
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The rise in Oropouche cases comes alongside other travel-related infections that UKHSA has been tracking.
Chikungunya - a mosquito-borne virus causing sudden fever and debilitating joint pain - has seen a sharp increase, with 73 cases reported in England in the first half of 2025.
Most affected travellers had returned from Sri Lanka, India, and Mauritius, where outbreaks continue. Although the UK's climate prevents local mosquitoes from transmitting the disease, severe symptoms can linger for months, particularly joint pain, which affects up to 12 percent of patients even three years after infection.
For those planning trips to higher-risk regions, two chikungunya vaccines are now available in the UK: IXCHIQ® for adults aged 18 to 59 and Vimkunya® for individuals 12 and older. UKHSA recommended consulting a travel clinic to discuss suitability before travelling.
The Travel-associated Infections report also highlights a worrying increase in cholera cases, rising from one case in 2024 to eight in the first half of 2025, largely linked to travel to India and Ethiopia.
Dengue and Zika virus cases, by contrast, have fallen, with 161 dengue cases and just four Zika cases reported across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland during the same period.
Meningococcal serogroup W (MenW) disease has also been noted among UK travellers, particularly those visiting Saudi Arabia for Umrah and Hajj.
The potentially deadly infection can leave survivors with severe lifelong health complications, and vaccination with MenACWY is strongly advised for pilgrims and their close contacts.
UKHSA recommends that travellers consult the Travel Health Pro website at least four to six weeks before departure.
The site provides comprehensive advice on health risks worldwide, helping travellers take preventive measures such as vaccinations, mosquito bite avoidance, and timely medical guidance if symptoms appear.
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I'm in constant pain after hearing big crack at base of my skull but doctors say there's nothing they can do
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Times
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How to protect yourself from (and treat) mosquito bites
While this long, hot summer poses challenges for farmers, gardeners, firefighters and water companies, it does facilitate one of my greatest pleasures: alfresco dining. And, horse flies and wasps aside, eating outside in the UK tends not to be associated with unwelcome guests — unlike in hotter countries, where mosquitoes can't wait to join you for dinner. Fortunately bites from mozzies and gnats in the UK are generally little more than an irritation, but elsewhere they pose a major threat, transmitting infectious diseases such as malaria, dengue, yellow fever, zika virus and chikungunya — all of which can be brought home by returning travellers. Indeed, the UK Health Security Agency has recently released data on chikungunya — a viral infection that causes fever and joint pain — that shows a threefold increase in cases in England during the first six months of this year. 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If the redness and swelling worsens or the area becomes painful and/or is weeping despite trying both medications, then it may be infected and you should seek medical advice. However, redness and swelling, even if marked, is normally caused by inflammation triggered by a delayed immune reaction to anticoagulants injected by the mosquito. An inflamed bite tends to be itchy, whereas an infected one is more likely to be sore or painful. However it can be hard to tell the difference and antibiotics are often over-prescribed by doctors who prefer to err on the side of caution. How your body reacts to bites depends to some extent on how often you have been bitten before. If you have never been bitten by a mosquito, then you probably won't react much at all. If, like most of us, you have been bitten numerous times, then you can react quite badly. And at the other end of the spectrum, if you have been bitten frequently for years then the reaction may start to wane — a variation in the immune response that may explain why some people (my wife, Ros) seem to be bitten more than others (me). Alternative explanations are available … The UK Health Security Agency is concerned about the rise in cases of infection with the chikungunya virus in returning travellers to the UK. The virus is spread by bites from infected mosquitoes. Affected regions include Africa, southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Pacific region, the subtropical regions of the Americas and the Caribbean. Most cases identified this year have been found in travellers returning from Sri Lanka, India and Mauritius. Chikungunya is normally a self-limiting condition that causes one to two weeks of fever, muscle and joint pain, headaches, and skin rashes. However, the joint pain can be severe and persist for much longer. Rarely, the infection can be fatal.
