South Korea has confirmed its first domestic case of the Ozu virus after detecting the pathogen in a woman in her 80s [1, 2].
This discovery is significant because the virus was previously reported only in Japan, suggesting the pathogen may now be circulating within the South Korean environment. The case highlights an emerging public health risk associated with tick-borne illnesses in the region.
Medical officials collected the specimen from the patient in November 2022 [1]. The woman had no history of overseas travel, leading health authorities to believe she contracted the virus locally. Investigators presume the infection occurred via a tick bite in a front-yard garden where the patient worked [1, 2].
The patient received treatment and was discharged from the hospital [1]. While this case represents the first domestic transmission, a separate instance of the virus was linked to a person who traveled to Japan in July 2023 [1].
The Ozu virus was first identified in 2018 in Japan's Ehime Prefecture [1]. The virus has been linked to severe health complications in other regions; for example, a woman in her 70s died of myocarditis in Japan in 2023 [1].
Health officials are urging the public to remain vigilant as outdoor activities increase during the spring farming season. An anchor for YTN said that people should be careful not to be bitten by ticks as the weather warms and outdoor activities increase [1].
Experts continue to monitor the spread of the virus, which is transmitted by the Haemaphysalis longicornis tick [1]. The domestic confirmation in South Korea indicates that the virus is no longer limited to Japanese borders, a shift that requires increased surveillance of local tick populations [1, 2].
“South Korea has confirmed its first domestic case of the Ozu virus”
The shift of the Ozu virus from a Japan-specific pathogen to one with domestic transmission in South Korea suggests a widening geographical range for the virus. Because the virus has been linked to fatal myocarditis in elderly patients in Japan, the South Korean health system must now integrate Ozu virus screening into its diagnostic protocols for tick-borne febrile illnesses to prevent undetected fatalities.
