Jakarta –
A never-before-seen virus that causes a malaria-like disease has been detected in Peru.
The disease was first detected in a 20-year-old man, who went to hospital after experiencing fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and other symptoms for two days.
Doctors were unable to identify the cause of the man’s mysterious illness. However, further laboratory investigations revealed a previously unknown pathogen.
This virus is classified as a phlebovirus, which causes acute febrile illnesses, including malaria and Rift Valley fever. Rift Valley fever can be fatal if it develops into dengue fever syndrome, causing bleeding from the mouth, ears, eyes and internal organs.
Phlebovirus is usually spread through insect bites, such as sand flies, mosquitoes, or fleas. There are 66 species of phlebovirus, nine of which have been found to cause febrile illness in Central and South America.
However, of the total species, only three were detected in Peru, namely the Echarate virus (ECHV), Maldonado virus, and Candiru virus.
Furthermore, the virus detected at De La Merced Chanchamayo Hospital in 2019 appears to be unlike anything seen before. Analysis showed that this completely new virus was formed by the ECHV virus exchanging DNA fragments with another virus, known as a ‘recombinant event’.
In the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, researchers warn that the virus may already be circulating in Peruvian forests and that monitoring must continue.
They also highlighted that the new disease appears similar to other tropical diseases, so it may be difficult to identify.
“Our findings show that a new variant of ECHV is circulating in the forests of central Peru,” they said, quoted by the Mirror.
“‘Because of the clinical symptoms of this variant infection too [mirip dengan] “dengue hemorrhagic fever, malaria and other tropical infectious diseases are common in this region, ongoing biological surveillance is needed to detect new pathogens,” the researcher continued.
Further research is also needed to determine how widespread this new variant is in the Peruvian region, as well as identify potential vectors and reservoirs involved in its transmission.
MailOnline reports that health leaders in the UK, including the UK’s Health Security Agency, have called for patients with fever-causing illnesses to be monitored, to detect new illnesses.
Watch the video “Ministry of Health says about the safety of the dengue fever control program via Wolbachia”
(suc/naf)
2023-12-05 15:00:50
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