While the world continues to suffer due to coronavirus pandemic, spread of another deadly new virus has sent shock waves among medical authorities in China.
\According to a report of the Chinese daily ‘Global Times’, a new infectious disease caused by a tick-borne virus has killed 7 people while as many as 60 people are currently infected by the disease.
he virus has been recognised as Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Bunyavirus or SFTSV. The reason cited for spread of the virus is human-to-human transmission. More than 37 people in East China’s Jiangsu Province contracted with the SFTS Virus in the first half of the year, according to the reports. In the latest, 23 people were found to be infected in East China’s Anhui Province.
Global Times studied the case of a woman, Wang, residence of Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu who suffered from the virus and developed symptoms such as severe fever and cough. Doctors also discovered a decline of leukocyte, blood platelets on her body. It took Wang a month to recover from the virus. But the virus has reportedly killed at least seven people in Anhui and East China’s Zhejiang Province.
As of now, there is no vaccine available to curb the transmission of the virus.
“Although there have been several studies focused on the pathogenesis and transmission of this virus, there is currently no vaccine available to prevent the spread of SFTSV. Initial studies indicate a higher mortality rate in patients 50 years and above suggesting susceptibility to SFTS infection may vary depending on several risk factors including patient age and immune status,” NCBI reported.
As per the Chinese authorities, SFTS is not a a new virus. According to a research of 2011, the researchers have isolated pathogens of this virus belonging to the Bunyavirus category. The virus is most likely to spread from ticks as well as human, Virologists said.
However, doctors have warned that tick bite is the major transmission route, as long as people take prevention, there’s no need to panic over such virus contagion.
