World's first human case of rat disease detected in Hong Kong

According to Hong Kong University, a man has developed the world's first case of the rat version of hepatitis E virus.

Also Read: Rat fever grips flood-hit Kerala;Leptospirosis claims 28 lives

The man who is reportedly 56-years-old had undergone a liver transplant due to persistent abnormal liver function tests. The University of Hong Kong said there was no previous evidence the disease could transfer from rats to humans.

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"This study conclusively proves for the first time in the world that rat HEV can infect humans to cause clinical infection," the university said in a statement.

He could have contracted the illness through food infected by rat droppings, researchers said.

The patient was treated with an oral medication known as ribavirin and is recovering, reports said. Symptoms of hepatitis E virus includefever, vomiting and jaundice, and in rare cases liver failure and death.

According to the World Health Organization(WHO), hepatitis E, a liver disease, which is normally spread through contaminated drinking water affects 20 million people globally each year.

WHO estimated that nearly 44, 000 people died of Hepatitis E in 2015, accounting for 3.3% of mortality due to viral hepatitis.

The World health body in its report said although the disease is found worldwide but it is highest in South and East Asia. A vaccine for the disease has been developed in China but it is not avaliable anywhere else, according to WHO.

It commonly occurs in countries with limited access to water sanitation and health services, according to a WHO report.

Rat hepatitis E virus is very distantly related to human hepatitis E virus variants, Hong Kong Unitersity said. The Hong Kong University will be releasing more information about the case on Friday.

In France, researches had said they had found traces of hepatitis E in pork.

In Kerala, during the recent floods, suspected cases of leptospirosis, a waterborne disease known locally as 'rat fever' had hit 800 patients. Transmitted via the urine of infected animals, its symptoms include muscle pain and fever. At least 12 people had died due to the disease.

Hong Kong has been facing persistent rodent problem in the past year because of hot and humid condictions. The country was hit by the deadly Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus in 2003 which started from China caused severe respiratory problems in humans.