Japanese authorities announced that a woman in her seventies died in Ibaraki Prefecture after contracting the "Oz" virus, marking the first death in the world due to this tick-borne infection. Health authorities clarified that the virus was detected in the country in 2018, and while there may have been infections in humans and animals, no confirmed cases in individuals had been reported until now.
The woman visited a medical facility in the summer of 2022 after experiencing symptoms including fever and fatigue, according to the prefectural government and the Ministry of Health. She was diagnosed with pneumonia, but after her condition worsened, she was hospitalized, where a tick was found engorged in the upper part of her right thigh.
The woman passed away 26 days after being admitted, due to complications related to myocarditis. According to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, the Oz virus is transmitted by ticks that thrive in grassy areas, though it is not necessarily deadly. Further studies and research on this virus are needed, especially given the presence of various species in Japanese regions.
Symptoms of Oz virus bites include fever, fatigue, and headaches. As the condition intensifies, the affected individual may experience difficulty breathing and limb swelling. Currently, there is no vaccine for the Oz virus, although antibodies to the virus have been found in wild monkeys, pigs, and deer in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo. Some humans also have antibodies to the virus, but this is still under scientific investigation.
A health and welfare official advised citizens to cover as much of their bodies as possible when entering grassy areas to avoid tick bites, explaining that this is the only preventive measure available against the Oz virus at this time, according to Japanese news agency reports.
