The first case of person-to-person transmission of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TSS) was reported in Japan. Previously, infection could only be caused by tick bites.

According to a news source, a young doctor who was treating a 90-year-old patient fell ill nine days after the death of a pensioner who was diagnosed with a severe fever after going to the emergency room last year.

The most common group A strain causes more deaths among patients under 50, according to Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbum. Between July and December 2023, 21 of 65 such patients diagnosed with TSS died.

In the later stages of the disease, there is a risk of necrosis of the connective tissue that covers the muscles. According to Japanese medical experts, patients are prescribed antibiotics, but in advanced cases, tissue removal is sometimes necessary.