It is transmitted through tick bites.
Scientists have discovered a new virus in China, transmitted by ticks, which can infect humans. In some cases, it can affect the brain.
Live Science reports this.
The pathogen, called the wetland eczema virus (WELV), was first detected in a patient undergoing treatment in the city of Jinzhou in June 2019.
The 61-year-old man told doctors that he was bitten by a tick in a park. Antibiotics did not relieve the symptoms, indicating that the infection was not caused by bacteria.
Analysis of DNA and RNA in the man's blood revealed a never-before-seen orthonaivirus, a group of related viruses that includes several tick-borne viruses.
WELV had never been seen in humans or animals before. After finding the virus in a hospital patient's blood, researchers went looking for it in ticks and animals in northern China, including a wetland park the man had visited.
The scientists collected samples from hundreds of patients who developed a fever within a month of being bitten by a tick. Twenty of them tested positive for the virus. Three were also infected with other tick-borne diseases, but 17 were infected with WELV alone.
It was previously reported that cases of norovirus have increased worldwide. This is an infection that alcohol gel does not kill.
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