Japanese woman dies from tick-borne disease after bitten by cat

Tokyo: A woman from Japan died last year from tick-borne disease after being bitten by a stray cat. It is thought to be the first such mammal to human transmission, the media reported on Tuesday.

According to a report in BBC, the unnamed woman in her 50s had been helping a sick stray cat when she was bitten, Japan's health ministry said.

After ten days, she died of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS), which is carried by ticks.

Doctors assume that the illness must have been contracted via the infected cat as no tick bite was detected.

SFTS is a relatively new infectious disease emerging in China, Korea and Japan, the BBC reported.

The virus is said to have fatality rates of up to 30 per cent and is especially severe in people over 50.

According to local media reports, SFTS first occurred in the country in 2013.

The health ministry said the latest death was still a rare case but warned people to be careful when in contact with animals in poor physical condition.

Globally, tick bites are widely associated with transmitting Lyme disease which can lead to severe illness and death if left untreated.

(With IANS inputs)