Most of the cases are in Miami. “We have to be worried because infected people may be arriving that we haven’t detected,” said an epidemiologist, explaining how the disease is behaving.

All of the cases of Oropouche detected in Florida involve travel to Cuba, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which places Miami-Dade as the county with the highest number of patients who have had the disease so far this year.

To date, there are a total of 74 reported cases in five states across the country. Of the 70 in Florida, 41 are in Miami-Dade, according to the state Department of Health. The latest update referred to just over 20.

Oropouche virus is not notifiable nationally, but in mid-August the CDC issued an alert about the increase in imported cases and encouraged jurisdictions to voluntarily report to its surveillance systems.

Epidemiology specialist Dr. Dadilia Garcés told Martí Noticias that while “the Oropouche will not produce a pandemic immediately, authorities and doctors should be concerned to prevent it from happening in the future.”

“High temperatures are ideal for insect reproduction and that’s why we’re seeing so many types of transient infections. Global warming has also reduced the ability of humans to respond to infections,” he said.

The specialist clarified that although in the coming weeks there could be a decrease in cases due to the end of summer, “in areas where there is heat, such as Cuba, the trend will not necessarily change so soon.”

Health authorities on the island say that the Oropouche virus is present in all provinces, but to date they have recorded 506 cases in the country, while specialists warn that the number could be higher.

“We don’t know what resources Cuba has or doesn’t have to be able to carry out the analysis on all the people who have symptoms. We also don’t know if they want to tell the truth. There are many reasons why the numbers may be different from what they give,” he said.