quotes Japan Times About the ministry While there have been reports of possible infections with the tick-borne virus in wildlife and humans, this is believed to be the first death from the virus in the world.
According to the ministry, the woman, who has no history of any foreign travel, visited a medical clinic last summer and showed symptoms including fever, fatigue and joint pain. She was suspected of having pneumonia and prescribed antibiotics, but her symptoms worsened and she was taken to hospital at Tsukuba Medical Center.
When she was admitted to the hospital, a blood-sucking tick was found at the base of her right thigh. She passed away about a month later from an infection of the heart muscle.
According to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), the Oz virus was first detected in 2018 and its scientific name is amblyomma testudinarium, in Japan’s Ehime Prefecture.
The ministry said that no virus has been found so far outside Japan.
Since this is the first confirmed fatal case, it is difficult to judge the severity or danger of the virus at this point, said Tadaki Suzuki, an infectious disease expert at the National Institute of Mental Health.
“This case shows that the virus can cause severe symptoms including deaths, but previous detection of people who have the antibodies also shows that some people may be asymptomatic or only have mild symptoms,” he said.
The department says the best precaution for people is to avoid exposing their skin when they are in areas where they might come into contact with ticks. She advises people who go to the bush to wear long-sleeved shirts and pants to avoid being bitten by them, especially from early spring until autumn when the insects become active.
The ministry said anyone who has been bitten by such ticks should see a doctor rather than trying to remove them themselves.
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