New Virus Discovered In China That Can Affect Brain
NDTV
The virus was first identified in a 61-year-old patient in Jinzhou city in June 2019, who fell ill five days after being bitten by ticks in Inner Mongolia's wetlands
A new virus, dubbed wetland virus (WELV), has been discovered in China that can spread to humans through tick bites, causing neurological disease in some cases, according to media reports.
The virus was first identified in a 61-year-old patient in Jinzhou city in June 2019, who fell ill five days after being bitten by ticks in Inner Mongolia's wetlands. The patient experienced fever, headache and vomiting, with symptoms resistant to antibiotics, according to a report published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
WELV belongs to a group of viruses known for being transmitted by ticks, similar to the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, which can cause severe illness in humans. Following the initial discovery, researchers conducted a thorough investigation in northern China, where they collected nearly 14,600 ticks from various locations. About 2 per cent of these tested positive for WELV genetic material, primarily from the species Haemaphysalis concinna.
