Scientists discover that a new virus like Ebola in Bolivia could spread among humans

Scientists are calling attention to a mysterious viral disease like Ebola that appears to have spread from person to person during a small outbreak in Bolivia last year. The disease, caused by the tea plant virus, killed three people. At least 5 people are believed to have become ill Includes three health care workers who have come into contact with the patient during the outbreak. Symptoms include internal bleeding, fever, and extensive organ damage.

The virus Named Near the Chapare River in Bolivia, after the place where the first known outbreak of the disease occurred in late 2003. Several people were suspected of having the disease in 2003 and 2004, but detailed information and blood samples were collected from only one patient at the time. A 22-year-old tailor and farmer living in a rural village in Samzabeti.

Men first develop headaches and fever, which are joint pain, vomiting, Internal bleeding, also called bleeding.This series of symptoms is known as hemorrhagic fever And it is a well-known and often fatal result of other very dangerous but usually rare viral diseases such as Ebola. Within two weeks the man died.

The doctor was able to study HelloBlood and virus isolation that has never been documented, while eliminating other potential illnesses common to the region, such as dengue. The mystery virus was discovered to be a member of the arenavirus family. Virus group It generally infects rodents and sometimes humans. Its relatives include the more famous Lassa virus and other viruses first discovered in South America, such as the Bolivian hemorrhagic virus and the Argentine Junin virus. Many of these viruses can cause hemorrhagic fever in people.

In 2019, the Chapare virus recurred in Bolivia. It was first found in a farmer who developed hemorrhagic fever and eventually died. After it became clear that the patient’s disturbing symptoms were not caused by dengue or a more mundane illness, health officials began a detailed investigation and finally with the help of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I confirmed that the workers had come down with the Chapare virus.

most Arenavirus What makes people sick is known to spread from rodents to people. This usually occurs when you inhale aerosols from dry rodent urine or virus-contaminated feces, or when you come into direct contact with rodents. During this recent outbreak, health officials found traces of the Chaparet virus in rodents near where the farmers worked, by the study Virtual announcement this week Annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

However, at least three health care workers (residents, ambulance workers, and gastroenterologists) who interacted with the infected patient also developed the disease, and two eventually died. Health officials strongly believe that the virus spread from person to person in these other cases. Another concern about the discovery was that traces of the virus could be found in the semen of survivors more than 160 days after infection. It has also been reported for hemorrhagic fever viruses such as Ebola.

“We now believe that many body fluids can carry the virus,” said Caitlin Cossaboom, an epidemiologist in the CDC’s high-result pathogen and pathology department. statement Presented by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene..

Given the ongoing pandemic and how I startedIt’s natural to worry about this news. However, while that is not entirely unreasonable, it should be noted that most human outbreaks of the arenavirus tend to be restricted, as this was. And their main transmission route remains mainly from rodents to people. The virus can spread from person to person, but it can also be transmitted by direct contact with body fluids such as blood and saliva, and its lethality is limited. In contrast, something like covid-19 is a respiratory disease that easily spreads throughout the respiratory system and only breathes the same air as an infected person.It can be transmitted even before someone is visibly ill.

However, it is undoubtedly important for epidemiologists and other scientists to pay attention to potential threats such as the Chaparet virus, especially in regions of the world where medical resources are limited. increase Potential risk of infection to health care workers. Even viruses that actually spread only through direct contact with body fluids Outbreak Nearly 30,000 people were infected and more than 11,000 died under appropriate conditions, such as when Ebola broke out in West Africa in 2014.Lassa virus related to chapare Infects regularly In the region of Africa where it was discovered, there are as many as 300,000 people a year and an estimated 5,000 deaths a year.

For now, scientists plan to learn as much as possible about the chapare virus from these latest cases., And whether it circulates in a country unknown to doctors. After the outbreak in 2019, doctors recorded three other possible cases, patient Survived.