Forget coronavirus, another virus outbreak in China worries experts

As the entire world is trying hard to contain the coronavirus outbreak, a new virus outbreak in China is worrying authorities and medical experts alike in the country. This deadly pathogen is known as the tick-borne virus, and experts believe that the major transmission route of the pathogen is tick bites.

However, Sheng Jifang, a doctor from the first affiliated hospital under Zhejiang University had suggested that the possibility of a human to human transmission cannot be ruled out. According to Sheng, this deadly virus could infect one human to another through blood and mucous.

Latest reports coming out from China indicate that this virus has claimed the lives of seven people in the country, and has infected more than 60. The most alarming fact associated with this virus outbreak is its high mortality rates. Medical experts reveal that the fatality rate associated with this pathogen is 30 percent, much higher than the coronavirus which is currently wreaking havoc in all nooks of the planet.

This is not the first time that tick-borne virus, also known as Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is attacking people in China. It was in 2010 that the country reported the first SFTSV case. However, in 2011, China claimed that they have successfully isolated the pathogen of the virus.

In humans, the common symptoms associated with the SFTSV virus infection are high fever, nausea, myalgia, abdominal pain, and a drastic reduction in platelets. In extreme cases, the victim could face multiple organ failure, which could result in a life-threatening situation.