Spatiotemporal diffusion of the 2024 Oropouche outbreak in Cuba

Oropouche virus (OROV) was reported in Cuba in May 2024 and rapidly spread throughout the country. Here, among 147 reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction-positive cases identified from May to July 2024, we sequenced 39 whole genomes of OROV. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all sequences formed a monophyletic cluster nested within the reassortant lineage, named OROVBR-2015–2025, which has been circulating extensively in Brazil since 2023. Additional phylogeographic analyses demonstrated that the Cuban subclade probably originated from a single viral introduction from the Brazilian state of Acre in early February 2024, followed by cryptic circulation until its identification in May. The introduction probably occurred in the central region of the country, from which the virus spread and established secondary transmission hubs in the western and eastern regions. These findings underscore the capacity of OROV to spread well beyond South America, which was considered its endemic area of circulation. Whole genomes of Oropouche virus were sequenced in Cuba from people infected during the 2024 outbreak, and phylogenetic analyses suggest that this Cuban subclade was introduced through a single introduction from Brazil in early 2024.