As the world continues to battle the pandemic which has been claiming lakhs of lives, is China nesting another viral infection which has the potential to turn into yet another disaster..?
Yes, says the present scenario in East China. According to the official media reports as of Wednesday, a new infectious disease caused by a tick-borne virus has killed seven and infected at least 60, setting off alarm bells.
A large number of the cases were reported across East China which causes severe fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS). While the disease is transferred to humans through tick bites, Chinese virologists have warned about the possibilities of its human-to-human transmission.
However, Chinese virologist confirmed that SFTS Virus is not a new virus while the virus was first identified by a team of researchers in China over a decade ago. As first few cases were reported in rural areas of Hubei and Henan provinces, China has isolated pathogen of the virus in 2011 and the infection re-emerged now.
Talking over the severity of the infection, according to a report, the virus killed at least 30 per cent of those infected. Due to the rate at which it spreads and its high fatality rate, SFTS has been listed among the top 10 priority diseases by WHO.
Farmers, hunters and pet owners are particularly vulnerable to the disease and are considered as the potential carriers of the disease. The virus is often transmitted to humans from animals like goats, cattle, deer and sheep, while animals have relatively less impact.
