According to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) of Japan, the first instance of the tick-borne viral illness known as severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) has been verified as occurring within the country.
The NIID reported earlier this week that although a doctor contracted the virus from a patient, the doctor’s symptoms had since improved.
According to the institution, the doctor, a man in his 20s, treated a patient in his 90s who had been diagnosed with SFTS after going to the ER in April of last year because of declining health.
The patient eventually passed away, and the doctor did a number of procedures on him, one of which was taking out his catheter after death. It is said that the doctor wore gloves and a face mask, but not goggles, during this treatment.
It also stated that the doctor experienced fever and headaches about nine days after the patient passed away, and a medical investigation revealed that SFTS was the cause of his symptoms.
According to the NIID, the viruses’ genes were discovered to be identical in the two males, proving that the infection could spread from person to person and being the first case of its kind in Japan.
