On January 30, local time, the Ministry of Public Health of Uruguay issued an announcement confirming that the first human confirmed case of Western equine encephalitis was found in the country's San José Province.
It isThe first confirmed human case has been detected in Uruguay since the outbreak began on 28 November 2023 in neighbouring Argentina
Uruguay will continue to take a variety of measures to prevent and control horses, including isolating horses from different regions, sampling and epidemiological investigations of horses suspected of being infected, coordinating equine encephalomyelitis vaccines domestically or procuring them from abroad, and arranging for vaccination of horses everywhere as soon as possible.
Previously, on January 28, local time, the Argentine Ministry of Health said that the number of cases of western equine encephalitis infection in the country increased to 39, and the death toll rose to 5, which was the first outbreak of the disease in Argentina since 1996.
The local Ministry of Health reported that three of the five deaths occurred in the province of Buenos Aires, four had lived, worked or travelled in rural areas, and all had past medical history and underlying medical conditions.
As of the 25th of this month, a total of 1,296 cases of equine encephalitis infection have been confirmed across Argentina, and the National Agricultural Health and Quality Service has begun to vaccinate all horses over two months of age against equine encephalomyelitis.
On November 25 last year, Argentina reported the first case of human infection with Western equine encephalitis, and then a national epidemic prevention alert was activated.
Western equine encephalitis is a rare mosquito-borne viral disease that is common to people and horses. Birds are also hosts for related viruses. The virus can be spread to other areas through the movement of people and animals carrying the virus, and may be more widespread through the flight and migration of birds, WHO said. According to the WHO, in humans, the Western equine encephalitis virus can cause diseases such as aseptic meningitis and encephalitis, ranging from subclinical, moderate to severe symptoms.
*: CCTV News.