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A disease that was previously found only in the rat is passed on to humans – and doctors do not know why. A second victim surfaced in Hong Kong, as doctors could not verify how both patients were infected.
Despite claims that she would not have been in contact with rats, a 70-year-old woman was confirmed as the second person to have been diagnosed with HIV infection. hepatitis E.
The South China Morning Post revealed that the woman lived only three kilometers from the other person diagnosed with rat disease in September. As a result, authorities swept the area in search of rodents and control measures were tightened.
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Hepatitis E – one of five viruses that can cause hepatitis – can be contracted through contact with feces, by consuming contaminated water or food, or by consuming undercooked meat.
The woman was infected by May of last year – at about the same time as the zero patient, a 56-year-old man was also infected with the virus.
Although both patients live so close to each other, a local expert involved in the survey said that he did not think the two cases were related, but that He had not explained how the disease spread.
This worries local officials, who fear that the uncertain source of infection will cause public panic.
Dr. Siddharth Sridhar, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology, University of Hong Kong, said that "to not see [the rats] did not mean that there was no contact "and that it was possible that" rodent droppings somehow got into the food " that the 70-year-old woman may have consumed.
"If the patient has weak immunity, he could be infected with this virus", Sridhar added.
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