'This Time in Mice'... Report of Death Case from Rare Virus Transmitted Between Humans

[Image source = Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] A rare virus transmissible between humans has been discovered in Bolivia, South America, resulting in three confirmed deaths.

On the 16th (local time), foreign media reported that three medical personnel from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who were active in La Paz, Bolivia last year, were confirmed to have died after being infected with the Chapare Virus, which causes hemorrhagic fever.

The Chapare Virus is a rare virus that was first reported in 2004 in the Chapare region, located 595 km east of La Paz. In South Korea, it is included among the 46 viruses and prions (infectious proteins) classified as "pathogens subject to legal management" as of 2018.

CDC pathologist Caitlin Kosabum stated, "It has been confirmed that a young resident, ambulance medical staff, and a pathologist were all infected after encountering patients infected with the Chapare Virus," adding, "It is believed that bodily fluids can potentially transmit the virus."

The virus is presumed to have originated in rodents and then transmitted to humans. Like the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), it is capable of human-to-human transmission, but no vaccine or treatment has yet been developed. Symptoms include fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, gum bleeding, eye pain, and skin rash.

Researchers noted that the Chapare Virus, which belongs to the hemorrhagic fever virus group like Ebola, can be easily misdiagnosed due to symptoms similar to dengue fever, suggesting it may have gone undetected and circulated for several years. They also emphasized the need for caution as there is limited information available compared to other viruses.