Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and the National Institute of Infectious Diseases said on the 23rd that a patient who died in the summer of 2022 in the country died of myocarditis caused by a new virus Oz virus. This is the first human case of human infection with Oz virus and death in the world.
According to the information released by these two institutions on the 23rd, the female patient in her 70s lives in Ibaraki Prefecture and has no history of overseas travel before, but has underlying diseases such as high blood pressure. In the early summer of 2022, she experienced symptoms such as burnout, decreased appetite, vomiting, joint pain, and a high fever of 39 degrees Celsius, but the new crown nucleic acid test and antigen test were negative. The patient's condition deteriorated during home observation and was sent to the hospital, and on the 20th day of hospitalization, he developed impaired consciousness and died of sudden ventricular fibrillation on the 26th day.
According to the data, through the examination of whole blood, serum and urine samples collected at the patient's admission and the pathological dissection of the remains, it was judged that she died of viral myocarditis caused by Oz virus infection.
The Oz virus, which is transmitted by ticks, was first detected in Japan in 2018. According to the survey of serum antibodies in wild animals, the virus is widely distributed in Japan, but it is the first time in the world that it has infected humans and caused death.
Ticks, blood-sucking parasites
It is the most diverse type of pathogen that spreads
Vector arthropods
The harm is second only to mosquitoes
Except for the Oz virus
Ticks also carry a variety of viruses, germs, etc
Can transmit a variety of diseases
In the central and eastern regions of the mainland,
Outbreaks in South Korea and Japan have broken out in many places
Fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS)
It is commonly known as "tick disease"
Severe cases can lead to multiple organ failure
On June 25, the Beijing Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued a reminder to beware of "tick disease" when going out.
What is fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome?
★ The disease, commonly known as "tick disease", is an emerging infectious disease (SFTS) caused by fever and thrombocytopenia syndrome Bunya virus, which is transmitted mainly through tick bites and can also be transmitted from person to person through direct contact with the blood or bloody secretions of patients.
★ The disease was first discovered in China in 2009, and as of 2021, the number of cases in China has reached 18,902, with a mortality rate of 5.11%. Except for 4 provinces (autonomous regions) (autonomous regions) of Hainan, Tibet, Qinghai and Ningxia, no cases have been reported, and cases have been reported in 27 other provinces (municipalities directly under the central government and autonomous regions). At present, most of the cases are mainly concentrated in 7 provinces: Shandong, Henan, Anhui, Hubei, Liaoning, Zhejiang and Jiangsu.
Symptoms and hazards associated with fever
★ After infection with this virus, it generally takes 1 week ~ 2 weeks (incubation period). Then sudden acute onset, the main clinical manifestations are fever, body temperature is above 38 °C, severe persistent high fever, up to 40 °C or more, some cases can be as long as 10 days. With fatigue, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, etc., some cases have headache, muscle aches, diarrhea, etc. Superficial lymphadenopathy such as neck and groin is often present on examination with tenderness, epigastric tenderness, and relative bradynamism. Blood routine testing may reveal progressive decline in white blood cells and/or platelets.
★ A small number of cases are critically ill, with impaired consciousness, skin ecchymosis, gastrointestinal bleeding, pulmonary hemorrhage, etc., and can die due to shock, respiratory failure, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and other multi-organ failure.
★ The prognosis of most patients is good, but the prognosis of previous underlying diseases, elderly patients, psychoneurological symptoms, obvious bleeding tendency, hyponatremia, etc. suggests severe illness and poor prognosis. Statistics over the past decade show a case fatality rate of about 5%.
How the virus is transmitted to people
★ The disease is mainly transmitted through tick bites. Ticks are commonly known as ticks, ticks, grass creepers, canine beans, eight-legged seeds, etc., the life of ticks includes eggs, larvae, nymphs and adult 4 stages, of which adults and nymphs have 8 legs, and larvae have 6 legs.
★ Ticks mainly feed on sucking blood, ticks are extremely sensitive to smell, can smell the host a few meters away, climb to 1 meter high leaves or grass tips waiting to feed, when people and animals pass, suddenly jump on people and animals, waiting for the opportunity to suck blood. When sucking blood, anesthetic can be injected into the human body, and there is no pain and itching, so the human body often does not feel it. Blood sucking lasts for a long time, even for several days, and the volume of ticks can increase dozens of times after sucking blood. If a blood-sucking tick carries a pathogen, the body may become infected.
★ In addition, direct contact with the blood and body fluids of SFTS patients may also be infected, and there have been many clusters of epidemics caused by human-to-human transmission in China.
Where? What people? Easy to infect
★ Fever with platelet syndrome is more common in spring and summer, peaking from June to October. Cases are mainly distributed in mountainous and hilly rural areas and are highly sporadic in rural areas. The population is generally susceptible, and residents and workers living and producing in hills, mountains, forests and other areas, as well as tourists who go to outdoor activities in such areas, are at higher risk of infection. Middle-aged and elderly people are the main group of morbidity.
★ Ticks are mainly distributed in remote mountainous areas in Beijing, and in addition to local farmers, outdoor hiking and camping enthusiasts are also at risk. In addition to mountainous areas, hedgehogs carrying ticks or free ticks have also been found in residential areas, parks or low bushes in Beijing.
★ There have been many cases of human infection caused by companion animals (cats, dogs) in Japan and South Korea, so pet owners or veterinarians are also at risk.
★ Medical personnel and accompanying personnel who do not take personal protective measures when they come into contact with the sick person are also at risk of contracting the disease, if they come into contact with the patient's blood, body fluids, bloody secretions, excreta and the environment and objects contaminated by it.
The key to preventing tick disease is to prevent tick bites
1. People living in hills, mountains, forests and other areas should pay attention to cleaning and killing free ticks in the home environment and ticks attached to domestic animals.
2. Avoid sitting for a long time in the main habitat of ticks, such as grasslands, woods, etc. At the same time, do a good job of personal protection, such as wearing long-sleeved clothes, tightening trouser legs or tucking pant legs into socks or shoes, wearing light-colored clothes can make it easier to find if there are ticks attached; The surface of knitted clothing should be as smooth as possible, so that ticks do not adhere easily; Do not wear sandals. Apply repellents to bare skin, DEET, picaridin, and immerin (also known as mosquito repellent) are more effective anti-tick agents.
3. Take a shower when you get home, and the shower will help wash away unattached ticks. Check for tick attachment to skin folds and weaknesses such as armpits, groin, scalp, neck, waist, and ankles.
4. If you are carrying a pet at the same time, check the ear, groin and other parts of the pet for ticks that bite in time, and pay attention not to catch ticks or other parasites on the pet with your bare hands and squeeze it.
5. In addition to preventing tick bites, medical staff and accompanying personnel should also take personal protective measures when contacting the patient, avoiding contact with the patient's blood, body fluids, bloody secretions, excreta and the environment and articles contaminated by it.
What to do after being bitten by a tick?
The right way to handle it
★ Hold the tick as close to the surface of the skin as possible with pointed forceps.
★ Pull the tick out perpendicular to the skin with a steady, uniform force, without twisting or jerking, to avoid crushing or twisting the head of the tick.
★ Never crush the tick with your fingers after removal, it can be handled by placing the removed live tick in alcohol, in a sealed bag/container, or flushing it down the toilet.
★ If part of the mouth falls off and remains in the skin, remove the part of the mouth with forceps;
★ If you can't easily remove it with tweezers, don't worry too much, don't move, let the skin heal.
★ After removing ticks, thoroughly clean the bite site and hands with iodine, alcohol, or soap and water.
★ If you are unsure, you should find the nearest regular hospital as soon as possible and let the doctor deal with it.
★ If you develop a rash or fever within a few weeks of removing the tick, see your doctor. Be sure to tell your doctor about your most recent tick bite, when you were bitten, and where you are most likely to be bitten by a tick.
How errors are handled
★ Burn with fire, burn with cigarette butts, and use heat to separate ticks from the skin.
★ Apply nail polish to stimulate ticks to leave the skin.
★ Smear the tick with Vaseline and let the tick fall off... Wait a minute!
China Search Comprehensive Xinhua News Agency, CCTV News, Shanghai Radio and Television Media Center, Beijing Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention WeChat public account
Source: China Search