1st human-to-human transmission of SFTS virus in Japan confirmed by NIID.

Japan's National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) reported the first human-to-human transmission of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), a tick-borne viral disease. The virus was transmitted from a patient in their 90s to a doctor in their 20s. Genetic analysis confirmed the virus in both men was identical, marking the first instance of human-to-human transmission in Japan.