Dozens of cases of infection have already been identified.
The virus was first found in Germany in 2010, but then it was believed that it was not transmitted to humans. Eight years later, the first sick patient was identified in Hong Kong; until now, such cases have been recorded only sporadically.
This time the virus was first discovered in Spain. About 40 cases of human infection with rat hepatitis E have already been identified. There are people infected in Andalusia, Galicia, Navarre and Catalonia.
Infectious disease experts say that about 30% of rats are carriers of the virus. According to doctors, it is not yet known how the pathogen is transmitted from rats to people. There are several versions, according to one of which, people can become infected after contact with natural secretions of rodents. According to another version, there is a species of animal that acts as an asymptomatic intermediate carrier.
“We are dealing with a completely unknown emerging disease,” said Antonio Rivero Juarez of Spain’s Institute of Biomedical Research.
All experts agree that there is no reason to believe that the presence of the virus and cases of hepatitis in rats are less common in other countries. It is very likely that the disease actually has a global distribution similar to that seen in rodents.
