tick disease? What is SFTS?
Severe febrile thrombocytopenia syndrome, SFTS. It is a relatively new infectious disease first reported in China in 2011. It is caused by a tick bite, and it is a terrifying disease that kills one in five people with a fatality rate of about 20% when infected. In Korea, since the first infection was reported in 2012, the number of patients has been steadily increasing every year. Since 2017, the number of cases has increased to around 250 each year.
Dog SFTS 6 out of 10 “Stuck in front of the house.”
Dogs and cats can also get SFTS. According to data recently published in an international journal by Professor Jun-seok Chae of Seoul National University’s Department of Veterinary Medicine, 3.1% of dogs suspected of SFTS were infected with the virus. The results are from a blood sample survey of 448 dogs that were exposed to large amounts of ticks or showed symptoms of suspicion between April 2019 and December 2020. Infection was confirmed in 14 animals.
The age distribution also varied from 1 to 10 years for various breeds including Maltese, Poodles, Chihuahuas, Pomeranians and Bichonfrieses. The most striking thing is ‘Where did you get it?’ There were 4 places in Seoul, 2 places in Gyeonggi, 1 place in Gangwon-do, 3 places in Chungcheong area, and 4 places in Yeongnam area. Nine out of 14 animals, or 64.3%, were exposed to ticks in city parks or walking trails around residential areas. This means that you can get SFTS from exposure to ticks anywhere around your home, not in the suburbs or forests.
In Seoul, Songpa-gu Olympic Park, Geumcheon-gu Mountain Foot Park, Gasan Digital Complex Area, and Eunpyeong-gu downtown promenade were designated as infection sites. I went to Olympic Park, the actual place of infection. Dogs were enjoying a walk in the well-maintained expansive grassy plaza. However, since it is such a large park, a few more steps lead to a lush forest.
“You can collect the ticks from the bushes around the park or from the bushes around the trails. The ticks feed on the blood of animals. They live in places where wild animals such as birds and rodents are good for hiding.” (Professor Jun-seok Chae, Seoul National University)
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Dog SFTS, secondary infection ‘caution’
Dogs infected with SFTS showed symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, blood in the urine and swelling of the eyelids. Although the exact SFTS dog mortality rate has not been investigated, there were no deaths in this published paper. Cats known to have a high mortality rate are estimated to have a lower ‘death probability’ than those with a high fatality rate. The problem is that a dog with SFTS can develop a secondary infection with other pets or humans.
In Korea, cases of secondary infection from dogs to humans have already been reported. The director of a veterinary hospital in Bundang, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, died while giving first aid to a seriously ill dog, and the doctor later showed clinical symptoms such as high fever and was diagnosed with SFTS. In Busan, an 80-year-old died of SFTS, and the dog once showed symptoms of fever, so it was also suspected of secondary infection.
In Japan, for 6 years from 2013, 16 people, including 10 companion animal owners, 4 veterinarians, and 2 animal health workers, were secondarily infected with companion animals, and 2 of them died. In particular, there have been cases in which six people, from one pet infected with SFTS to one other pet and caretakers, veterinarians and animal health workers, were infected at once.
There is no vaccine or medicine… Prevention is best
Currently, SFTS has no diagnostic kits, vaccines, or drugs. It is the same for both animals and humans. For now, we have no choice but to ‘take care of each other’. Here’s how to prevent it from experts: Wearing bright colored long clothes in the forest, removing weeds around the house, spraying both people and animals with tick repellent before going for a walk, and washing clothes right after going for a walk. It is also recommended to wash the animal immediately. It is also important to periodically inject antiparasitic drugs.
If you find a tick that is sucking blood on your dog’s body, it’s a good idea to visit a veterinarian to remove it. This is because there is a possibility of infection by popping the tick. If it is confirmed that you have been bitten by a tick, you should check for any symptoms such as fever, chills, and vomiting for about a week, and if you see symptoms, you should visit the hospital immediately.
The researchers emphasize that institutional changes are also necessary.
“The Ministry of Health and Welfare is legally designated and managed as a zoonotic disease, but it is not included in the Livestock Contagious Disease Prevention Act of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, so it is difficult to manage. It means you’re out of the system.” (Professor Jun-seok Chae, Seoul National University)
Ticks are active from spring to autumn, with the exception of midwinter. There is no need to be overly fearful, but it seems necessary to be wise to know, to prevent, and to act in a timely manner.