Thailand Monitors Tick-Borne Viral Fever Cases
Thailand's Department of Disease Control is monitoring cases of a tick-borne viral fever with a 10-30% mortality rate; six cases have been confirmed across four provinces since 2019, with two new patients reported in June 2025.
The Department of Disease Control's epidemiology division has issued a notice requesting cooperation in monitoring and tracking a viral infection causing high fever and low platelet syndrome. This emerging disease typically presents with sudden high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, low platelets, hepatitis, and can lead to shock or multi-organ failure, with a mortality rate of 10-30% according to international data. The virus spreads through tick vectors and can transmit from animals to humans or between humans via patient secretions. Thailand first identified cases in 2019, and the most recent reports from June 2025 documented two new patients, bringing the total to six cases distributed across four provinces: Bangkok (2 cases), Phetchabun (2 cases), Nakhon Pathom (1 case), and Chachoengsao (1 case). Thailand faces several risk factors for SFTS transmission, including environmental conditions favorable to tick breeding, close contact with pets that may harbor ticks, importation of animals with ticks from abroad, and travel to outbreak areas. The epidemiology division is requesting monitoring cooperation as Thailand faces risk of additional cases. The tick species feeds on blood from multiple animals including cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, horses, pigs, dogs, cats, wildlife, and rodents, and occasionally bites humans. Thailand has previously reported finding this tick species in surveys of certain national parks, though there is no clear confirmation that it is permanently established in the country.
