While the deadly coronavirus shows no signs of abating, a new virus in China, recently made it to the headlines. In an official media statement on Wednesday, the Chinese Government declared that a new infectious tick-borne disease caused by SFTS virus has infected 60 and killed seven people in China. This revelation has certainly filled the heart of Chinese people with trepidation. The Chinese Government also warned its people about the human transmission of this tick-borne infection.
In East China’s Jiangsu Province, more than 37 cases of SFTS virus we’re confirmed in the first half of this year. After that, 23 cases of the virus were confirmed in the Anhui Province, East China. Symptoms such as cough and fever were detected in a woman from Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu. Furthermore, the doctors noticed a plummeting leukocyte and platelet count in her bloodstream. After battling the infection for nearly a month, the woman was discharged from the hospital.
Due to the SFTS virus, almost seven people have died in East China’s Anhui and Zhejiang province. The SFTS virus is not new according to experts. China had isolated the viral strain of the pathogen back in 2011, and it belongs to the Bunyavirus category. Chinese virologists believe that thevirus is passed on to humans by ticks. It can also spread by human to human transmission via blood or mucous of infected patients.
The major transmission route of the SFTS virus is via ticks. Therefore, as long as people stay alert and conscious, there’s no need to raise any panic among the population. The SFTS virus contagion can be controlled if people pay close attention to proper hygiene practices.
Seeing the massive destruction caused by the coronavirus across the globe, one can only imagine what another potential viral infection can do. Therefore, it’s important that the Chinese government take prompt action to control the outbreak of the SFTS virus and protect not just the people of its country but that of the world.