Research groups such as Hokkaido University have announced that they have discovered a new virus, "Ezovirus," which is infected by tick bites and causes symptoms such as fever and muscle aches.
The research group calls attention to avoid being bitten by ticks, and says that it is necessary to immediately put in place an inspection system.
Research groups such as Hokkaido University announced that they discovered a new virus and named it "Ezovirus" as a result of investigating patients who had symptoms such as fever and muscle pain after being bitten by ticks from last year. bottom.
When infected with Ezovirus, symptoms such as fever, loss of appetite, and decrease in platelets and white blood cells appear within a few days to 2 weeks, so 7 people were confirmed to be infected between 7 years ago and last year. It means that it was done.
In addition to the patients, the virus has been confirmed in ticks that live in Hokkaido, and it has also been confirmed that there are wild animals that have antibodies to the virus, so it is said that the virus has already become established in Hokkaido.
The research group plans to investigate the distribution situation nationwide in the future, and Keita Matsuno, a lecturer at the International Joint Research Institute for Zoonosis, Hokkaido University, said, "We will immediately prepare the testing system and continue to investigate the severity and progression of symptoms. It is necessary to do it, "and he cautions against being bitten by ticks, especially when entering the mountains.