Scientists are warning of a new tick-borne disease called Wetland virus (WELV) that was recently discovered in China.

A member of the Orthonairovirus genus of viruses, WELV previously infected a man in Inner Mongolia, China, in 2019, but it was not identified until this new study, which was published in The New England Journal of Medicine last week.

The 61-year-old man, who was bitten by a tick at a wetland park, sought medical attention for “persistent fever and multiple organ dysfunction,” according to the study.

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A team of researchers from the Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology isolated the virus from that patient and later identified it as WELV.

Using laboratory testing, the team went on to detect the virus in 17 other patients in China whose symptoms included fever, headache, dizziness, muscle pain, fatigue, back pain, arthritis, swollen lymph nodes and neurologic issues, the study findings noted.

Some also had petechiae, which are spots on the skin caused by bleeding from capillaries.

Eight of the patients who had recovered were found to have four times as many WELV-specific antibodies than those who had not yet recovered, the researchers found.

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After receiving antiviral medications, antibiotics or immunoglobulin therapy, all the patients recovered without any long-term health effects.

The Wetland virus is similar to the Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever, a virus that causes fever, headache, muscle pains, vomiting, diarrhea, bleeding into the skin and liver failure in severe cases, according to the study findings.

The virus could cause brain damage and death, researchers found. 

The RNA of the virus was found in five different tick species, along with sheep, horses, pigs and rodents in northeastern China. 

When injected into mice and hamsters, the virus was shown to cause brain damage and death. 

A team of researchers from the Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology isolated the virus. (iStock)

Diagnosing the Wetland virus could prove to be a challenge because its symptoms usually match that of a “non-specific illness,” the researchers noted.

“Improving surveillance and detection for emerging orthonairoviruses will allow a better understanding of the effect that these viruses have on human health,” they wrote.

Doctors react to viral discovery

Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News and clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, said the findings spotlight the wide range of viruses that a tick or other “insect vector” can transmit.

“This can cause hemorrhagic fever and can be quite deadly,” Siegel, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. “It’s worth keeping an eye on but is very rare.”

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Dr. Edward Liu, chief of infectious diseases at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center, noted that tick-borne diseases typically don’t spread quickly.

“They slowly expand their territory as ticks shift their environments but are nothing like respiratory viruses, which transmit much more easily and literally can spread from continent to continent in one day,” he told Fox News Digital.

It’s important to identify and avoid areas where ticks may live, including wooded, grassy or brushy areas, according to the CDC. (iStock)

Viruses or bacteria that live in ticks are specific to certain species, Liu noted, “so those viruses don’t automatically transfer to ticks in the U.S.”

“I am not worried about a COVID-19-type pandemic,” he added.

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He did, however, echo Siegel’s warning of potentially fatal ramifications, as the Wetland disease causes hemorrhagic fever, which can be deadly. 

“Elderly people and immunocompromised patients are at the greatest risk,” Liu said.

Preventing tick bites

The best means of prevention against tick-borne diseases is to protect against bites, experts say.

It’s important to identify and avoid areas where ticks may live, including wooded, grassy or brushy areas, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They can also live on animals.

The Wetland virus is similar to the Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever, a virus that causes fever, headache, muscle pains, vomiting, diarrhea, bleeding into the skin and liver failure in severe cases, according to the study findings. (iStock)

The CDC recommends treating all clothing and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin, which helps to repel ticks.

People can also apply an EPA-registered insect repellent, such as those containing DEET.

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After coming inside after spending time outdoors, the CDC recommends checking all clothing, gear and pets for ticks. It is best to shower within a couple of hours.

The agency also suggests doing a full body check.

To protect against tick bites, people can also apply an EPA-registered insect repellent, such as those containing DEET, the CDC said. (iStock)

Clothing can be dried at high heat for 10 minutes — or washed with hot water — to kill any ticks.

Anyone who experiences symptoms of illness after a tick bite should contact a medical provider.

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The study at Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences.

Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.

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Your breath could hold clues to your health, researchers say — and they have developed a “smart mask” to tap into them.

Wei Gao, professor of medical engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, led the team that created the EBCare, a mask that analyzes the chemicals in someone’s breath to detect any existing health issues.

The mask is designed to screen for medical conditions like respiratory infections, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), asthma and post-COVID infections, according to a press release from Caltech.

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EBCare works by cooling the breath to convert it into a liquid, then transports it to sensors to be analyzed for specific biomarkers.

In an email to Fox News Digital, lead researcher Gao noted the mask’s ability to enable “continuous, real-time monitoring of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) in a non-invasive and wearable format.”

“This technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we monitor respiratory health by providing valuable insights into conditions like asthma, COPD and other metabolic disorders,” Gao said, noting that it could be a path to more personalized health care.

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“It can also be applied to pandemic management by monitoring respiratory infections on a wide scale,” he added.

The ultimate goal is for the EBCare technology to go beyond respiratory diseases, Gao noted. 

“As research progresses, we envision that the smart mask can be adapted to detect a wider range of biomarkers, including those related to metabolic, cardiovascular and infectious diseases,” he said.

This schematic shows the process by which the smart mask can detect chemicals in the breath, such as nitrite, which is an indicator of airway inflammation. (Caltech/Wei Gao and Wenzheng Heng)

A study of the mask’s capabilities included 31 healthy adults who wore the EBCare in real-life settings over a 14-hour span, according to Caltech. They only removed the mask for three-minute intervals to eat.

Ten of the participants were smokers, 10 had asthma, nine had COPD and 12 had recently recovered from COVID-19.

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The masks accurately detected the biomarker for asthma and COPD in participating patients. They also successfully detected signs of kidney disease.

EBCare also produced accurate readings of blood alcohol levels.

“Monitoring alcohol levels in real time offers a non-invasive and continuous alternative to breathalyzers or blood tests,” Gao said.

“We would need to see at least a few clinical studies demonstrating that the masks can diagnose better — or more rapidly or with more sensitivity — than the standard of care.”

The research — which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Tobacco Related Disease Research Program, and the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity — was published in the journal Science on Aug. 29.

The idea is not for the smart mask to replace traditional medical diagnosis, but to provide “early warning” through continuous health monitoring during daily activities and to “bridge the gap” between doctor’s visits, Gao said.

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“The goal is to identify subtle physiological changes before they develop into more severe conditions, giving individuals the opportunity to take proactive steps in managing their health,” he said.

This is especially important for those who need regular monitoring, such as patients with chronic conditions or those recovering from respiratory infections like COVID-19, according to Gao.

The mask (not pictured) is designed to screen for medical conditions like respiratory infections, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), asthma and post-COVID infections. (iStock)

“I recommend that health care providers consider integrating real-time EBC analysis technology into their diagnostic and monitoring practices, especially for chronic conditions like asthma and COPD,” he said. 

“For individuals, the ability to monitor one’s health non-invasively through a wearable device offers the opportunity to be more proactive in managing personal health, which can lead to early intervention and better health outcomes.”

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MarkAlain Déry, DO, MPH, infectious disease doctor and chief innovation officer at Access Health Louisiana, who was not involved with the development of the smart mask, agreed that it is an “exciting concept.”

“Could it work? Sure,” he told Fox News Digital. 

Wei Gao, professor of medical engineering at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, led the team that created the EBCare mask. (Caltech)

“However, we would need to see at least a few clinical studies demonstrating that the masks can diagnose better — or more rapidly or with more sensitivity — than the standard of care,” he went on. 

“Then, we would need studies that demonstrate clinical improvement.”

Potential limitations

Some external doctors not involved in the mask’s development questioned whether this mode of data collection is beneficial.

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“While the mask introduces an innovative method to monitor exhaled breath condensate (EBC), we need to ask an important question: Do these continuous, real-time measurements genuinely make a difference in everyday life?” said Dr. Brett Osborn, a Florida neurosurgeon, in a conversation with Fox News Digital. 

“For the average person, the biomarkers it detects — ammonium, pH, nitrite and alcohol — do not need constant monitoring, especially when routine blood tests can provide this information more accurately and with greater relevance.”

“For the average person, the biomarkers it detects … do not need constant monitoring, especially when routine blood tests can provide this information more accurately and with greater relevance,” a doctor said. (iStock)

Osborn believes that the concept of the EBCare mask is better suited for “specific, high-stakes environments,” such as real-time monitoring of toxic gases in military or industrial settings. 

“However, for the average person, especially in a post-pandemic world, the idea of wearing a mask like this is counterproductive,” he said. 

Dr. John W. Ayers, PhD, vice chief of innovation in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health at the University of California San Diego, also questioned the idea of having patients with asthma or COPD — who already experience breathing difficulties — wear the masks.

“For the average person, especially in a post-pandemic world, the idea of wearing a mask like this is counterproductive.”

The lead researcher, Gao, responded to some of these comments.

“While routine blood tests are indeed reliable, they are typically periodic and require a clinical setting, which limits their ability to capture dynamic, day-to-day physiological changes,” he told Fox News Digital. 

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“The real innovation of the EBCare mask lies in its ability to continuously monitor health in real time, offering insights that might not be detectable with intermittent tests.”

For individuals managing chronic conditions like asthma, COPD or metabolic disorders, fluctuations in certain biomarkers can provide early warning signs, according to the researchers. (iStock)

For individuals managing chronic conditions like asthma, COPD or metabolic disorders, fluctuations in certain biomarkers can provide early warning signs before symptoms worsen, allowing for timely intervention, according to the researcher. 

Gao, however, did acknowledge some limitations with the EBCare device.

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“One limitation was the relatively small sample size in some of the clinical trials, particularly for conditions like COPD and asthma,” he told Fox News Digital. 

“Future studies with larger and more diverse populations will help to further validate the device’s performance across a broader range of conditions and environments.”