Japan Records First Case Of Death Due To Oz Virus In The World, Allegedly Due To Kutuk

Illustration. (Unsplash/Isaac Quesada)

JAKARTA - A woman in her 70s died in Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, Japan after contracting the Oz virus, the world's first case of death by possible infections transmitted via ticks, Japanese authorities said Friday.

The woman went to health facilities in the summer of 2022, after experiencing symptoms of fever to fatigue, according to the government's health prefecture and ministry.

He was diagnosed with pneumonia, but after his condition worsened, he was hospitalized, and found a tick enlarged in his upper right thigh, authorities said.

The woman later died of myocarditis, heart muscle inflammation, 26 days after she was hospitalized.

So far, pieces have had a vaccine against the Oz virus, which has not been found outside Japan, according to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Tokyo.

The agency said that infection with the virus was not necessarily fatal, but further research needed to be carried out regarding its symptoms and dangers.

The virus was first detected in 2018 in Amblyoma testuinaries found in the western prefecture of Ehime. While there may be cases of infected humans and wild animals, there has been no confirmation of their emergence in humans until now, authorities said.

The Oz virus is thought to be transmitted via ticks, the institute said, with species in large areas of Japan.

It is known that antibodies have been found in wild monkeys, wild boars and deer in Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo, central prefectures of Gifu and Mie, western prefectures of Wakayama and Yamaguchi, and southwest prefectures of Oita.

In addition, two hunters in Yamaguchi were also reported positive for antibodies, the agency said.

"It's important to cover as much skin as possible when entering a grassy area, so you don't get bitten by these ticks," an official at the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said.