Chapare Virus — All you need to know about the deadly virus that causes hemorrhagic fever like Ebola

• The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in the US said that the Chapare virus falls in the arenavirus category.
• It can spread through direct contact with infected rodents or indirectly through the urine or feces (droppings) of an infected rodent.
• 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).

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

“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,” said the CDC.

There is no specific cure yet for the virus.