China: New virus transmitted through tick bites kills 7, infects over 60 people

While the world is still grappling to contain the spread of COVID-19 infection, a new virus has emerged in China. According to the Global Times, a Chinese government-run media outlet, the new virus is likely to infect humans through tick bites and has killed 7 and infected over 60 people so far. 

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As per the Chinese daily, the new virus has been identified as Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Bunyavirus or SFTS Virus. Over 37 people in East China’s Jiangsu Province are reported to have contracted with the virus while 23 people in East China’s Anhui Province were also found infected. 

Global Times also reported a case study of a woman in Nanjing, named Wang. As per reports, Wang who lives in the capital of Jiangsu suffered from the virus and showed onset of symptoms such as fever and cough. She was found to have low leukocyte and platelet count in her blood. After about a month of treatment, Wang is reported to have been discharged from the hospital. 

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Belongs to ‘Bunyavirus category'

The Chinese officials informed that the SFTS Virus is not a new virus. As per reports, China isolated the pathogen back in 2011. The Chinese authority informed that the virus belongs to the ‘Bunyavirus category’. As per reports, virologists believe that it may be passed to humans from ticks and can be transmitted between humans. 

While speaking to the media outlet, Sheng Jifang, a doctor from the first affiliated hospital under Zhejiang University, said that the possibility of human-to-human transmission could not be excluded. He added that patients can pass the virus to others via blood or mucous. Moreover, the doctor warned that tick bites are the major transmission route for the SFTS Virus but added that as long as people remain cautious, there is no need to panic. 

(Image: Rep/@CDC-Unsplash) 

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