A team of researchers from Korea University College of Medicine has discovered the presence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in urban Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) in South Korea. This is the first time that HEV has been identified in these rats in an urban setting. The study, conducted between 2011 and 2021, found that 4.4% of the 180 wild Norway rats examined in Seoul and Jeju harbored HEV. The discovery confirms that the HEV derived from Rattus norvegicus in Korea belongs to the same genus as the viruses reported in patients from Hong Kong, Spain, France, and Canada. HEV is known to cause acute hepatitis E, with symptoms including fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, jaundice, and dark urine. Pregnant women are particularly at risk, as they may experience severe complications such as fulminant hepatic failure and death. South Korea has been reporting around 400 cases of hepatitis E annually since 2020, with three fatalities. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) has classified hepatitis E as a Class 2 legal communicable disease. The study also highlights the need for preemptive measures to address the emergence of new and variant strains of the virus. [8de50cc1]
In a separate incident, a 24-year-old man in Hong Kong has contracted hepatitis C during his hospital stay in a suspected transmission case. The man stayed in the same ward cubicle as a 52-year-old hepatitis C carrier between April and May. Genetic sequencing showed that both patients are infected with hepatitis C with identical genetic sequence. Hong Kong health authorities are investigating the case and conducting checks on 14 others. Hepatitis C is an infectious disease transmitted through blood, bodily fluids, or from a mother to child during labor. The hospital has disinfected the ward and arranged for liver function and viral testing for the patients. [81048e00]