Spain: Dozens of cases of hepatitis transmitted by mice were detected

El Pais newspaper reported that doctors have detected, for the first time in Spain, dozens of infections with the hepatitis E virus in humans.

According to the information reported by the newspaper, “The virus that causes the aforementioned infection was detected for the first time in 2010 in Germany, and it was believed that humans could not be infected with it, and in 2018 the first person infected with this disease, which is transmitted by mice, was detected.”

For his part, Antonio Rivero Juarez, a researcher and specialist in hepatitis in Spain, said: “The infections were detected in several separate regions on a large scale in Spain, such as Andalusia, Galicia, Nabara and Catalonia, and this indicates that the virus is present in large parts of the country. There are 40 infections that have been reported.” It was determined by analyzing samples taken from more than 250 patients from 10 hospitals.

There is currently no confirmed information about how the aforementioned virus is transmitted from rodents to humans, but some hypotheses indicate that people may become infected after coming into contact with materials contaminated with the feces or urine of mice carrying the disease.