Recently, there have been many cases of hemorrhagic fever patients in Xi'an, and the rumor that "eating strawberries will cause hemorrhagic fever" began to circulate on social media.
Hemorrhagic fever, referring to hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, also known as epidemic hemorrhagic fever, is a natural foci of infectious diseases transmitted by rodents carrying Hantaviruses infectious diseases.
Hemorrhagic fever has been evil for many years. How can it be recruited, and whether it will be "human-to-human"? How to prevent it? Where did the rumor of "falling in love and killing each other" with strawberries come from, can strawberries still be eaten?
Hemorrhagic fever occurs throughout the year, but there is an obvious seasonal peak
"Hemorrhagic fever is mainly distributed in Asia, followed by Europe and Africa, and my country's epidemic is the worst." Wang Xiaochen, a physician in charge of the Institute of Acute Infectious Disease Control of the Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told the Science and Technology Daily reporter that my country's annual hemorrhagic fever cases account for the world's total number of cases. More than 90%, it is the country most seriously affected by the Hantavirus.
She introduced that Hantavirus is an RNA virus. According to incomplete statistics at home and abroad, more than 170 vertebrates can be naturally infected with Hantavirus. In my country, 53 species of animals have been found to carry this virus, and the main host animals are rodents. Chimpanzee and Rattus norvegicus are the main host animals and the source of infection, and the forest area is dominated by Chimpanzee.
"The main route of transmission of hemorrhagic fever is animal-derived transmission, including infection through the respiratory tract, digestive tract, and skin (mucosal) wounds. Among them, inhaling the excrement or secretion of the virus-bearing host animal and the aerosol formed by it, the respiratory tract infection is the The easiest way of transmission. In addition, there are vertical transmission and insect vector transmission." Wang Xiaochen said.
Hemorrhagic fever occurs all year round, but there is an obvious seasonal peak. Wang Xiaochen introduced that among the communicators of Chiropractor, the peak is from November to January, and the small peak is from May to July. House mouse spreaders peak from March to May. In the forest area, the epidemic peak is in summer. The incidence of haemorrhagic fever fluctuates periodically. The epidemic area with the main source of infection of the agaric rat generally has a major epidemic every few years. The periodicity of the epidemic area with the house mouse as the source of infection is not clear.
Hemorrhagic fever is not uncommon in my country. Wang Xiaochen introduced that 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government) in my country have reported cases, and the provinces with more cases include Shaanxi, Heilongjiang, Hunan, Hubei and Shandong.
"The distribution of the epidemic area mainly depends on the characteristics of the main host rodent species. The incidence of different regions is different, which is caused by the uneven distribution of host animals in different regions, which can be changed due to changes in temperature and food conditions." Wang Xiaochen said .
Eating strawberries is not directly related to hemorrhagic fever
The incubation period of hemorrhagic fever is generally 7-14 days, and it is more common in 2 weeks. "Typical cases have three main symptoms, namely fever, hemorrhage, and kidney damage." Wang Xiaochen introduced that fever is a must-have symptom in the early stage of hemorrhagic fever. At the same time, there will also be systemic symptoms of poisoning, such as headache, low back pain, orbital pain, and systemic symptoms. Muscle and joint pain, etc. In addition, capillary problems such as congestion, oozing, and bleeding can accompany. Congestion and flushing of the skin on the face, neck, chest, etc.
"The main route of transmission is from rats to humans, and human-to-human transmission is very rare." Wang Xiaochen introduced that patients carry the virus in their blood and urine during the acute phase, but humans are not the main source of infection.
"In normal strawberry production bases, as long as there is no plague, strawberries will not carry Hantavirus. Therefore, eating strawberries is not directly related to hemorrhagic fever." Shu Sheng, an associate professor at the School of Horticulture at Nanjing Agricultural University, said that whether strawberries will be infected with the virus is the key. It depends on whether there are a large number of mice with the virus in the production area, and whether the strawberries are bitten or come into contact with the excrement with the virus.
Wang Xiaochen further explained that if strawberries are contaminated with virus-carrying mouse excrement or secretions, after proper soaking and cleaning, the amount of virus required for transmission will not be enough to cause infection; if they are eaten directly, such as picking while picking While eating, there may be a certain risk of infection.
Shu Sheng reminded the majority of netizens that when buying strawberries, they should choose the ones with no foreign matter in appearance, soak them in light salt water before eating, and rinse them with water before eating to reduce the risk of disease.
How to prevent hemorrhagic fever? Wang Xiaochen said that the current domestic bivalent hemorrhagic fever vaccine can effectively prevent type 1 and type 2 hemorrhagic fever that are prevalent in my country. At the same time, pay attention to food hygiene. Leftover food must be heated or cooked before consumption, fruits and vegetables should be washed before consumption; indoor and outdoor garbage should be cleaned up in time, and sundries should be piled up regularly to reduce the food, hidden places and breeding places of rats; When disposing of sundries and wastes (such as straw, corn stalks, etc.), wear masks, hats, gloves, etc., sprinkle water first and then sweep the floor to prevent virus-carrying dust from flying.
"If you have been bitten by a rat and have been exposed to rat pollutants, if you have an unexplained fever of 38°C or more, you should seek medical treatment and local treatment in time, and inform the clinician of your exposure history when you go to the doctor, so that you can diagnose and treat in a timely manner." Wang Xiaochen Suggest.