Suspected tick-virus patient dies in Busan

With two people killed by severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) transmitted by one species of tick, the Haemaphysalis longicornis, in Gangwon and Jeju provinces, another patient with suspected tick-virus infection died in Busan.

The Busan metropolitan health authority said on Friday that it reported to the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention a 68-year-old person, Lee (Namsan-dong in Busan’s Geumjeong district), a suspected SFTS patient, who died while taking treatment.

A suspected SFTS patient has also been reported in Gangwon Province. According to the Gangwon provincial health authority on Friday, a 50-something woman was bitten by tick or insect while collecting wild vegetables recently and hospitalized, and is taking treatment due to fever and other symptoms at Gangwon National University Hospital.

On Friday, the Education Ministry instructed schools nationwide to “use extra caution to ensure students will not be bitten by ticks during outdoor activities.” Notably, the ministry sent guidelines requiring students to wear without fail long sleeved pants and shirts during experience activities in forests and outdoor sites where ticks are often found, considering that experience activities start in May in earnest. An Education Ministry source said, “Parents’ attention is important. When children return home from outdoor activities, they should carefully examine areas around their ears, under the arms, waist, behind knees and between legs.”