WELV: A New Threat from Ticks in China
A newly discovered virus in China, named the wetland virus (WELV), has been linked to neurological illnesses in humans, according to recent reports. The virus was first detected in a 61-year-old patient from Jinzhou city in 2019, after a tick bite in Inner Mongolia’s wetlands.
The patient developed fever, headaches, and vomiting, with symptoms not responding to antibiotics, according to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine. This marked the first known human case of WELV, a virus similar to the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, known for severe infections.
Investigating the Spread
Researchers in northern China launched a comprehensive investigation, testing nearly 14,600 ticks. About 2% of them, mostly from the Haemaphysalis concinna species, were found to carry WELV. The virus was also detected in animals like sheep, horses, pigs, and rodents.
In further analysis, blood tests on forest rangers revealed that 12 out of 640 individuals had antibodies against WELV. Twenty more patients with tick bites tested positive for the virus, experiencing symptoms ranging from fever, dizziness, and nausea to severe cases like coma due to brain inflammation.
Potential for Serious Health Risks
While all patients recovered after treatment, experiments on mice showed that WELV could lead to fatal infections and affect the nervous system, raising concerns about its potential to cause severe brain-related complications.
Researchers caution that though the virus may present mild symptoms in many cases, its ability to impact the brain highlights the need for further investigation and monitoring.
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