THE RISE OF THE TICK-BORNE VIRUS IN CHINA!!

 

An unnoticeable tick with a high fatality rate and severe symptoms?

YES…A bug responsible for a virus so bad that it can kill you.

A virus called SFTS (Severe Fever Thrombocytopenia Syndrome).

SFTS is a viral hemorrhagic fever caused by a "phlebovirus". It is transmitted from the Asian tick called Haemaphysalis longicornis, which is commonly found in the Americas, Asia, Africa, and the Mediterranean region. Scientists found that the tick-associated with severe fever is often passed on to humans from animals. And it also roams around forests. While the tick is the main vector of the virus, it may also be spread from person to person through blood, wounds or mucous.

There are many reasons to treat this seriously…but there is no reason to panic because this virus is not new. SFTS was first identified by a team of researchers in the Hubei and Henan provinces of China in 2009. As of 2016, SFTS like or confirmed SFTS patients has been reported in South Korea, Japan, UAE and United States outside China.

And now again in 2020, China found that SFTS infected 60 people in one area; and what’s so scary about it is that right now, up to 30% of the cases could die from it. The cases of SFTS virus first appeared in April and since then more than 37 people in East China’s Jiangsu Province have contracted with the virus and 23 people were found infected in East China’s Anhui Province. Seven people already died.

That’s why the World Health Organization listed it as one of its top 10 priority diseases.

All because of a TICK!!

And once it bites, we will experience unusual rashes and various other non-specific symptoms including respiratory tract symptoms, sudden onset of fever up to 38–41°C, headache, fatigue, myalgia, and gastrointestinal symptoms (loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea). Multiple organ failure develops rapidly in most patients (with raised concentrations of serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatinine kinase, and lactate dehydrogenase; and proteinuria and hematuria), and is usually accompanied by thrombocytopenia, leukocytopenia, and lymphadenopathy.

Currently, no vaccine or antiviral therapy is available to treat SFTS. The Chinese Ministry of Health initially approved the use of ribavirin to treat SFTS based on results of in vitro studies; nevertheless, the effectiveness of ribavirin to treat SFTS was evaluated in patients with a clinical diagnosis of SFTS, and no beneficial effect of ribavirin on platelet recovery or viral load reduction was noted. As a supportive measure, treatment with plasma exchange followed by convalescent plasma therapy from SFTS survivors, intravenous immunoglobulin and corticosteroids had also given. 

Unfortunately, all these therapies have not shown any encouraging results. While new cases of the novel Coronavirus is still popping up in China, the country is facing yet another potentially contagious viral infection. This time, it's jumping from ticks to people.

The rapid urbanization, followed by widespread rural-to-urban migration of the human population, intensive long-distance trade, and explosive short-term travel for shopping, has led to substantial health risks including air pollution, occupational and traffic hazards, and altered diets and activity. All of these changes in human activity, together with increased contact between human beings and their pets and nature, have probably contributed to the increasing the abundance of tick exposures over there.

The virus could undergo rapid evolution by gene mutation, reassortment and homologous recombination in tick vectors and vertebrate reservoir hosts. And thus, the disease has become a substantial risk to public health, not only in China, but also in other parts of the world.

Since no specific treatments of SFTS are available, avoiding tick bites is the most important measure to prevent the infection and transmission of SFSTV. People are advised not to go into jungles and bushes during an outbreak since ticks are most commonly found in wooded areas. Check your body for ticks after being outdoors. Treat clothing’s and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin.

These precautions should be strictly followed during the summer season, as ticks breed actively during that time. if not, A TINY BUG CAN BE SOMEBODY’S LAST TOUCH BEFORE DEATH!

May all these things that can take our lives remind us that life can be so fragile; we need to live our lives as if every day could be our last one.

Ms JEEVA ANN JIJU Pharm.D Intern