Tech2 News Staff7 août 2020 13:06:46 IS
While new cases of the new coronavirus still emerge in China, the country faces another potentially contagious viral infection. This time it’s ticking people off.
According to a report by Global Times, case of Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) first emerged in April and since then more than 37 people in east China’s Jiangsu Province have contracted the virus and 23 people have been found infected in the province of Anhui, in eastern China. As of August 6, approximately seven people died from the infection.
What is SFTS virus?
According to an article published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information, SFTS is a viral hemorrhagic fever caused by a kind of “phlebovirus” – a species belonging to the bunyavirus family. It is transmitted by the Asian tick called Haemaphysalis longicornis, which is commonly found in the Americas, Asia, Africa and the Mediterranean region.
The tick is a vector – the main vector of the virus. The virus itself is spread from the bite of infected animals, or when people come in contact with infected blood, mucous membranes, or wounds from someone with SFTS.
the Haemaphysalis longicornis which causes the SFTS virus. Image Credit: Wikipedia / James Gathany
SFTS virus has appeared since China, Japan and South Korea in recent years, with the most recent episodes reported in 2009, 2013 and 2017. The United States has also reported cases with milder, but similar symptoms. A case study of SFTS infection in vietnam has also been carried out, where the virus is not known to be endemic. This indicates that it could potentially be transmitted across continents by carriers, although this has not been a concern raised by health authorities so far.
The virus is thought to extend from March to November with infections peaking between April and July.
Another study from 2018, looked at the transmission and death rates of the virus. He reports that 10 to 30 percent of infections resulted in the death of SFTS patients. According to a report by Express India, WHO has listed the virus in its 10 priority disease master plan because of the speed at which it spreads and its high death rate.
What are the symptoms of SFTS?
People with SFTS infection shows signs fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, and elevation of serum liver enzymes. Patients with severe cases of SFTSV hemorrhagic fever usually die from multi-organ failure.
According to CDC, atypical signs and symptoms of the virus, as well as asymptomatic infections, have been identified.
Sheng Jifang, a novel bunyavirus expert and director of the infectious disease department of the first affiliated hospital of the Zhejiang University medical school said Global Times “The first symptoms are fatigue and fever; sometimes there will be a rash, ”Jifang said. There is also a “possibility of human-to-human transmission,” he added.
A study conducted with a small sample of 13 people also came to the same conclusions after people became infected after coming into contact with sick patients.
How do you deal with the virus?
According to a study published in The Lancet, there is currently no specific treatment or vaccine for SFTS. The only known prevention method for infection and transmission of SFTS is also the most recommended – avoiding tick bites. People are advised not to enter jungles and bushes during an outbreak, as ticks are most often found in wooded areas.
These precautions must be strictly followed during the summer season, because ticks actively reproduce during this period.
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