Estimation of Incubation Period for Oropouche Virus Disease among Travel-Associated Cases, 2024–2025

• Published in: Emerging infectious diseases Vol. 31; no. 7; pp. 1337 - 1343
• Main Authors: Guagliardo, Sarah Anne J., Martin, Stacey, Gould, Carolyn V., Sutter, Rebekah, Jacobs, Daniel, O’Laughlin, Kevin, Huits, Ralph, Castilletti, Concetta, Staples, J. Erin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases 01.07.2025; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Subjects: Adult; Age; Aged; Analysis; Brazil; Bunyaviridae Infections - diagnosis; Bunyaviridae Infections - epidemiology; Bunyaviridae Infections - history; Bunyaviridae Infections - transmission; Bunyaviridae Infections - virology; Causes of; Censorship; Cerebrospinal fluid; Cuba; Demographics; Development and progression; Disease control; Estimation of Incubation Period for Oropouche Virus Disease among Travel-Associated Cases, 2024–2025; Expedited; Female; Guillain-Barre syndrome; Health aspects; Health surveillance; Human subjects; Humans; Illnesses; incubation period; Infections; Infectious Disease Incubation Period; Infectious diseases; interval-censored survival analysis; Male; Medical laboratories; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Middle Aged; Oropouche; Orthobunyavirus; Patients; Prevention; Public health; RNA virus infections; Travel; Travel-Related Illness; Travelers; United States; vector-borne infections; Virus diseases; viruses; Young Adult; Zoonoses; United States; Brazil; Cuba; Europe; viruses; vector-borne infections; United States; incubation period; interval-censored survival analysis; Oropouche
• DOI: 10.3201/eid3107.250468
• ISSN: 1080-6040; 1080-6059

Determining the incubation period of Oropouche virus disease can inform clinical and public health practice. We analyzed data from 97 travel-associated cases identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (n = 74) or the GeoSentinel Network (n = 13) and 10 cases from published literature. Using log-normal interval-censored survival analysis, we estimated the median incubation period to be 3.2 (95% CI 2.5-3.9) days. Symptoms developed by 1.1 (95% CI 0.6-1.5) days for 5% of patients, 9.7 (95% CI 6.9-12.5) days for 95% of patients, and 15.4 (95% CI 9.6-21.3) days for 99% of patients. The estimated incubation period range of 1-10 days can be used to assess timing and potential source of exposure in patients with Oropouche symptoms. For patients with symptom onset >2 weeks after return from travel, clinicians and public health responders should consider the possibility of local vectorborne transmission or alternative modes of transmission.