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Hantavirus kills man in coronavirus-hit China, 32 others tested, report says

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A man in China who died on Monday reportedly tested positive for hantavirus, leading officials to test an additional 32 people who had traveled on a bus with him before his death, Global Times reported. The rat-borne illness, which U.S. health officials say cannot be transmitted from person-to-person, is typically passed to patients when they breathe in air contaminated with the virus through rodent droppings.

It’s also possible to contract the virus through a bite from an infected rodent, or if people touch something that has been contaminated with rodent urine, droppings or saliva and then touch their own nose or mouth. It may also be possible to contract the virus by eating food contaminated by an infected rodent’s droppings, urine or saliva, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

CORONAVIRUS MYTHS VS. FACT: POPULAR THEORIES ON NOVEL VIRUS DEBUNKED

The man, from Yunnan Province, was in transit to Shandong Province for work at the time of his death, according to the news outlet. The man was not identified, nor was his occupation. The results of the additional 32 passengers were also not immediately available.

Symptoms of the disease include fatigue, fever, and muscle aches, as well as headaches, dizziness, chills and abdominal pains. Late symptoms may include coughing and shortness of breath, and the disease has about a 38 percent fatality rate. Several of the symptoms mimic the signs for COVID-19, which has infected over 81,600 people in China, resulting in 3,285 deaths.

CLICK FOR COMPLETE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE 

The COVID-19 outbreak was traced to Wuhan and initially believed to have surrounded a live animal market in the city. COVID-19 is part of a family of coronaviruses which can cause illness in people and animals. The strains that infect animals can sometimes infect people, but the instance is rare, according to the CDC.

The health agency states that the exact origin of the current COVID-19 outbreak is unknown, but have compared it to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which did originate in animals before spreading to people.

Pennsylvania man’s earache sign of rare infection: ‘It’s surreal how close I was to dying’

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A 27-year-old Pennsylvania man is speaking out after he nearly lost his life to a rare syndrome that was triggered by a common ear infection.

Nick Sommons, a physically active Kingston, Pa., man who works as a DJ, told South West News Service (SWNS), a British news agency, that he developed a sore throat and earache in November 2018. Assuming it was nothing to worry about, he let it go for a few days. With no relief, he later went to see his doctor who prescribed him drops for an infection, which had caused the eardrum in his left ear to rupture.

MAN’S NAIL-BITING HABIT LEADS TO SEVERE INFECTION, EMERGENCY SURGERY

After not seeing any improvement in his left ear and noticing similar pain in his right, Sommons went back to the doctor who prescribed him steroids. Two weeks later, he was still unwell — and was getting worse.

Nick Sommons in hospital after he got blood clots in his brain from a severe, secondary infection associated with an ear infection.
(SWNS)

“I was home and remember just wanting to sleep. I was turning yellow and breathing was getting hard. Just walking made it difficult for me to breathe. It was awful. It got to the point where I just wasn’t getting any better and needed to go to the emergency room,” he said.

A friend took Sommons to Geisinger Community Medical Center, where doctors were unable to pinpoint what was lamenting the man. With his condition steadily worsening, he was rushed to the specialist unit at Danville State Hospital where he arrived unconscious, according to SWNS.

Doctors were reportedly forced to put the man in a medically induced coma while they worked to determine what was sickening him. Eventually, they found the answer: Lemierre syndrome.

“I honestly can’t believe how close I was to dying,” he said. (SWNS)

Lemierre syndrome, according to the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD), is a “rare and potentially life-threatening complication of bacterial infections that usually affects previously healthy adolescents and young adults.” The condition typically develops in association with other infections, such as a throat infection, ear infection or sinus infection, among other types.

“In people with Lemierre syndrome, the initial infection spreads into tissues and deep spaces within the neck, leading to the formation of an infected blot clot (septic thrombophlebitis), sometimes made up of pus, in the internal jugular vein (the blood vessel that carries blood away from the brain, face, and neck),” as per GARD.

The infection led Sommons to develop clots in his brain.

Nick Sommons in hospital.
(SWNS)

“Lemierre Syndrome can be fatal and there was a very real chance I wouldn’t make it. It’s surreal how close I was to dying. The infection had attacked my brain and I had three clots,” he said.

“The doctors said they thought there would be no way I’d have a fully functional brain. They thought I’d have speech problems — it was likely I’d have a suppressed quality of life.”

Ten days later, Sommons woke from a coma — but he had a long road to recovery ahead of him. After he was released from the hospital, the 27-year-old said he was bed-ridden for four weeks and had to re-learn how to walk.

Nick Sommons before he fell ill. Since recovering, he has completed a Spartan race.
(SWNS)

When he was well enough, Sommons said he used the experience to fuel his training for a Spartan race.

MORE THAN 2,000 POUNDS OF GROUND BEEF RECALLED OVER PLASTIC CONTAMINATION CONCERNS

“I used the experience to make me train harder. My goal was to become a faster runner,” he said. “I am incredibly thankful and so humbled by how I am still able to train at a high level.”

Continued Sommons: “I want to inspire other people who have been told they could have died. It has made me realize how life is fleeting and anything can happen at any time.”

Man’s swollen, calcified testicle caused by parasitic worm infection: case report

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A man in India who sought medical attention for a suspected urinary tract infection was found to be suffering from a rare reaction in one of his testicles that was caused by parasitic worms.

MYSTERIOUS VIRAL PNEUMONIA OUTBREAK IN CHINA CLAIMS ITS FIRST VICTIM

The 80-year-old’s testicle appeared swollen and calcified. The man, who was not identified, was diagnosed with lymphatic filariasis, which caused a fluid-filled sac caused a hydrocele to form around his testicle that then began to calcify, according to LiveScience.

A fluid-filled sac had formed around the man’s testicle and began to calcify. 
(BMJ Case Reports)

A hydrocele typically forms in response to an infection or injury, but in this case, it was caused by lymphatic filariasis, which is caused by parasitic worms.

MAN WITH ‘PENILE GANGRENE’ HAS PART OF GENITALS REMOVED 

A patient can become infected with filarial worms through the bite of an infected mosquito, according to a report on the man’s condition, which was published in BMJ Case Reports. (The original case report contains a graphic photo.) The parasites develop into adult worms once in the lymphatic vessels, which can cause severe damage and swelling, as was the case with the man’s right testicle.

The case report’s authors note that while filariasis is endemic in India, the calcification that occurred in this man’s scrotum remains rare, with authors noting just one other case published in 1935.

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While the authors did not say how they treated this man, patients with the parasitic infection may be given anti-filarial drugs, or even undergo surgery to address the infected hydrocele.

Florida man with rare condition says it feels like he’s ‘walking on glass’

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A Florida man with a rare genetic mutation that leaves him feeling like he’s “walking on glass” landed in the office of TLC’s Dr. Brad Schaeffer, desperately seeking help for what the doctor described as “the largest feet I’ve ever seen.”

Ortega has Proteus syndrome, which causes an overgrowth of various tissues in the body, primarily affecting his feet.
(TLC)

Jeffrey Ortega, whose case was featured on Thursday’s episode of “My Feet Are Killing Me,” was diagnosed with Proteus syndrome, which started when he was 9 months old and has progressively gotten worse. The rare disorder causes an overgrowth of various tissues in the body, which may result in skeletal malformation, benign or malignant tumors, malformations of blood vessels, bullous pulmonary disease and certain skin lesions, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD). 

In some cases, the condition may even lead to life-threatening complications, while others may only exhibit a few mild symptoms. Treatment varies from patient-to-patient depending on the symptoms, but it typically involves multiple procedures to control the overgrowth.

‘WIDOWMAKER’ HEART ATTACK PATIENT HAS 6 BLOOD CLOTS PULLED FROM ARTERY

For Ortega, his quest for relief has been a years-long process, with his case first making headlines back in 2015 after he started a GoFundMe page in hopes of raising money for an amputation. The amputation never happened, and on Thursday’s episode, Ortega visits Schaeffer at his New Jersey office and is accompanied by his mother, Alicia, still searching for relief.

Ortega has been searching for relief for several years and has been told by some doctors that amputation may be his best bet, but Schaeffer disagrees.
(TLC)

“Jeff has a very unique situation, he has something that’s called Proteus syndrome,” Schaefer told viewers. “Proteus syndrome is very rare, and it’s progressive. There’s excessive growth with the bones and the tissues, so what we need to do just make Jeff comfortable, and answer all his questions and try to help him out.”

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Ortega told Schaeffer that the syndrome primarily affects his feet, with his left foot continually growing, and added that it has affected him not only physically, but mentally as well. It’s also difficult for him to find shoes that will fit his large feet, but walking barefoot could leave him prone to dangerous infections.

“It’s not a lot of movement, unfortunately,” he said of his current situation. “I can walk but it feels like I’m walking on glass. It’s very unpleasant.”

Ortega told Schaefer that he has had multiple surgeries on each leg and that he has been told about possible amputation by some specialists. However, the doctor, who said his patient’s feet look “like cauliflower,” disagreed and cited multiple risks, including continued bone growth after amputation. Schaeffer instead took molds of Ortega’s feet in hopes of creating a shoe that would help him live a more comfortable life.

An emotional Ortega said his new custom shoe “feels like a dream come true.”

Rare shrew-spread virus linked to deaths of 8 German residents, study finds

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At least eight people in Germany who died of encephalitis likely contracted a rare virus from shrews, a small mole-like animal, that led to the fatal brain-swelling condition often caused by a viral infection.

Researchers looked at brain tissue from 56 people who developed encephalitis between 1999 and 2019. Samples revealed that at least eight people who died of encephalitis were infected with Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1),  Scientific American reported, citing a study recently published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

MYSTERIOUS VIRAL PNEUMONIA OUTBREAK IN CHINA LIKELY CAUSED BY NEW VIRUS, SCIENTISTS SAY

Borna disease (BD), spread by the bicolored white-toothed shrew, is a fatal neurological disease that typically affects horses and sheep and is named after the city in eastern Germany where it first killed hundreds of horses in the 19th century. The findings published in the medical journal “confirm that the virus can infect humans and cause deadly encephalitis,” Scientific American reported.

All eight of those who were infected with BD lived in rural areas and spent a lot of time outdoors. Many of the affected people had been around cats, which are known shrew catchers, as well. Researchers suspect the patients were exposed to the pathogen when the cats presented the dead shrews to their owners. They may have also inhaled dust that contained dried shrew urine (horses and sheep typically are infected after the small mammal urinates in hay.) However, exactly how the virus was transmitted to the patients is not yet known.

A white-toothed shrew.
(iStock)

As of now, there is no known treatment for the rare virus, which “triggers the host’s immune system to attack brain tissue,” as per Scientific American, and typically causes headache, fever and confusion, which is later followed by “deep coma” and death. That said, certain antiviral treatments are being considered.

The findings “provide additional material for a better understanding of the disease,” Martin Beer, head of the Institute of Diagnostic Virology at the Friedrich Loeffler Institute in Germany and co-senior author of the study, told the publication. He noted that the risk of infection in humans is “pretty low.”

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Moving forward, the researchers urged medical professionals to test for BD in patients with an “unclear cause” of encephalitis.

“BoDV-1 infection has to be considered as a potentially lethal zoonosis in endemic regions with reported spillover infections in horses and sheep. BoDV-1 infection can result in fatal encephalitis in immunocompromised and apparently healthy people. Consequently, all severe encephalitis cases of unclear cause should be tested for bornaviruses especially in endemic regions,” they wrote. 

Man covered in thousands of tumors says he’s treated ‘worse than stray animal’

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Rare skin condition leaves India man covered in tumors

Diwaker Bisoye was diagnosed with multiple neurofibromatosis. The rare skin condition began with a few small lumps around 15 years ago, but today his body is completely covered. Bisoye said he is treated worse than ‘a dirty stray animal’ by neighbors and strangers.

A man in India whose rare genetic condition has left him covered in thousands of tumors and with an extremely swollen leg claims he is treated worse than “a dirty stray animal” by neighbors and strangers who don’t understand his condition.

Diwaker Bisoye said he is treated worse than

Diwaker Bisoye said he is treated worse than “a dirty stray animal” by people who don’t understand his condition. 
(SWNS)

Diwaker Bisoye, 65, told SWNS that the growths first started with a few small lumps around 15 years ago. He was diagnosed with multiple neurofibromatosis, which doctors told him could partially be treated with multiple surgeries, but care isn’t available in his small village. The condition causes tumors to form on nerve tissues, and in Bisoye’s case has also caused his leg to swell to a massive 56 pounds.

MOM COVERED IN THOUSANDS OF TUMORS DUE TO RARE GENETIC DISORDER: ‘IT’S REALLY ROUGH AND DEPRESSING’ 

“People ridicule me directly,” he told SWNS. “They stare at me and avoid me. Most people act very [strangely] around me. No one likes looking at me or being near me.”

Bisoye claims misinformed people believe he will infect them and that he’s been unemployed for 15 years because of it.

THE FLU HAS SICKENED THIS STATE THE MOST, REPORT FINDS 

“Landlords don’t want me living in their property or ask me to leave when people complain about my condition,” he told SWNS.

In addition to the thousands of tumors, the condition has also caused his leg to swell to a massive 56 pounds. 

In addition to the thousands of tumors, the condition has also caused his leg to swell to a massive 56 pounds. 
(SWNS)

A woman in Alabama who was also diagnosed with neurofibromatosis said she has spent the majority of her life dodging looks and comments from strangers who also have misconceptions about her condition. Ashley Jernigan, who said her mother and grandmother both also had neurofibromatosis, said she hasn’t had her tumors removed out of fear that they will grow back larger.

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“With this condition, you can still live life like any other normal person,” she told Caters News Agency. “It’s just the bullying you have to deal with. It takes a strong person to overcome what people say. It’s hard, it’s really rough and depressing.”

Mom covered in thousands of tumors due to rare genetic disorder: ‘It’s really rough and depressing’

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An Alabama mother who has spent the majority of her life dodging looks and comments from strangers about the thousands of tumors that cover her body said she hasn’t had them removed over fears that they could come back even bigger.

Ashley Jernigan, 35, said she was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis, a rare genetic condition that causes tumors to form on nerve tissues.

Ashley Jernigan, 35, is covered in thousands of benign tumors. 

Ashley Jernigan, 35, is covered in thousands of benign tumors. 
(Caters)

“With this condition, you can still live life like any other normal person,” she told Caters News Agency, according to The Sun. “It’s just the bullying you have to deal with. It takes a strong person to overcome what people say. It’s hard, it’s really rough and depressing.”

COLORADO TEEN SEVERELY BRAIN DAMAGED AFTER BREAST IMPLANT SURGERY GONE WRONG, FAMILY SAYS

Jernigan, whose mother also had the genetic disorder, did not specify which type of neurofibromatosis she was diagnosed with, but said her 15-year-old son is also showing symptoms, and that she’s hesitant to have his three siblings tested. She also noted her symptoms worsened with each pregnancy.

She said she hesitates to go out in public due to rude stares and comments she gets from strangers. 

She said she hesitates to go out in public due to rude stares and comments she gets from strangers. 
(Caters)

“I’ll be pretty upset if I find out they have it,” she told the news outlet, adding that her grandmother was also covered in the benign tumors.

Jernigan said she has to monitor the growths, which are typically benign but in rare cases can turn cancerous, and that it’s the adults who are more harsh toward her than children.

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“When I go out, people stare and make rude gestures,” she told the news outlet. “I don’t want to date because of the stares. A man wouldn’t accept me. It would take a strong man to appreciate me for who I am and look past my condition.”

Mom covered in thousands of tumors due to rare genetic disorder: ‘It’s really rough and depressing’

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An Alabama mother who has spent the majority of her life dodging looks and comments from strangers about the thousands of tumors that cover her body said she hasn’t had them removed over fears that they could come back even bigger.

Ashley Jernigan, 35, said she was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis, a rare genetic condition that causes tumors to form on nerve tissues.

Ashley Jernigan, 35, is covered in thousands of benign tumors. 

Ashley Jernigan, 35, is covered in thousands of benign tumors. 
(Caters)

“With this condition, you can still live life like any other normal person,” she told Caters News Agency, according to The Sun. “It’s just the bullying you have to deal with. It takes a strong person to overcome what people say. It’s hard, it’s really rough and depressing.”

COLORADO TEEN SEVERELY BRAIN DAMAGED AFTER BREAST IMPLANT SURGERY GONE WRONG, FAMILY SAYS

Jernigan, whose mother also had the genetic disorder, did not specify which type of neurofibromatosis she was diagnosed with, but said her 15-year-old son is also showing symptoms, and that she’s hesitant to have his three siblings tested. She also noted her symptoms worsened with each pregnancy.

She said she hesitates to go out in public due to rude stares and comments she gets from strangers. 

She said she hesitates to go out in public due to rude stares and comments she gets from strangers. 
(Caters)

“I’ll be pretty upset if I find out they have it,” she told the news outlet, adding that her grandmother was also covered in the benign tumors.

Jernigan said she has to monitor the growths, which are typically benign but in rare cases can turn cancerous, and that it’s the adults who are more harsh toward her than children.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“When I go out, people stare and make rude gestures,” she told the news outlet. “I don’t want to date because of the stares. A man wouldn’t accept me. It would take a strong man to appreciate me for who I am and look past my condition.”

Woman develops painful ulcers that eat away skin after noticing mark on breast: ‘I feel so ugly’

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WARNING: GRAPHIC PHOTO BELOW

A 26-year-old woman in Kentucky who developed a rare immune system disorder that causes large painful sores to eat away at her skin said it first started with an odd mark on one of her breasts in 2017.

Mercedes Michalski, of Kentucky, said she first noticed a mark on her breast in 2017. 

Mercedes Michalski, of Kentucky, said she first noticed a mark on her breast in 2017. 
(Mercury Press)

Mercedes Michalski, who spoke to Mercury Press about her disorder, said that her breast is now completely disfigured and that she has developed depression as a result of the diagnosis.

MOM SAYS THIS CHRISTMAS COULD BE LAST AFTER SHOCKING DIAGNOSIS: ‘ILL FIGHT WITH EVERYTHING I’VE GOT’ 

According to the report, Michalski was diagnosed with pyoderma gangrenosum, which causes small, red bumps or blisters that develop into swollen open sores or ulcers, which are extremely painful and develop a blue or violet-color, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD).

Michalski's sores vary in size and have caused her to stress about what the future holds.

Michalski’s sores vary in size and have caused her to stress about what the future holds.
(Mercury Press)

The ulcers may spread, and become extremely painful, although the origins of the disorder remain unknown. It most often strikes in women between the ages of 20 to 50 years and is estimated to affect 1 in 100,000 people in the U.S., according to NORD.

WOMAN SUFFERS SEVERE BURNS AFTER HAIR CATCHES FIRE AS SHE WAS BLOWING OUT A CANDLE

Treatment may include ointments and wet dressings on the ulcers, or immunosuppressive drugs or corticosteroids. For Michalski, the sores appear all over her body, which has caused her to stop working and fear what the future holds.

“I feel so ugly,” she allegedly told Mercury Press, according to the Daily Mail. “I don’t leave home unless I’m going to the doctor. I’m not in a relationship and I’m worried about when I do meet someone because I don’t know how they’ll take it.”

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Michalski said she is holding out hope that a cure for pyoderma gangrenosum is on the horizon.

Wisconsin teen diagnosed with cancer while battling rare ‘butterfly skin’ disease: ‘He is resilient’

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At just 13 years old, Charlie Knuth, of Darboy, Wisc., has known more pain than most others do in a lifetime. The teen, who suffers from epidermolysis bullosa, a rare disease that causes his skin to blister incredibly easily, is near-constantly wrapped in bandages to protect his fragile skin. He takes special baths to soothe his sores, which can form from the slightest touch and are lanced before he is covered in fresh dressings.  But the so-called “butterfly child” — a name often given to EB sufferers as their skin’s fragility is similar to that of a butterfly wing — has another battle ahead: cancer.

“It’s unimaginable,” Trisha Knuth, Charlie’s mother, told Fox News. “Even as his mom, when I see him taking it in stride, I can’t even believe that he can.”

BOY, 2, HAS RARE ‘SCALE’-LIKE SKIN CONDITION THAT AFFECTS 1 IN 500,000: ‘HE’S OVERCOME SO MUCH’

Charlie’s biological parents abandoned him at the hospital shortly after his birth. Knuth and her husband, Kevin, had long fostered children with complex medical needs. But just weeks before they received a call about Charlie, they were readying to let their license expire; the tragic cases were simply becoming too much. Even so, Knuth said she couldn’t say no to Charlie — she knew to do so was likely a death sentence. They began the lengthy adoption process shortly after bringing him home.

Trisha Knuth and Charlie, 13.

Trisha Knuth and Charlie, 13.
(Trisha Knuth/Facebook)

“When I went to the children’s hospital in Milwaukee, he was slathered from head-to-toe in Vaseline,” she recalled. “Nobody ever came for him. I worked with the nurses and learned his care — but EB is so rare that many hospitals don’t know how to care for those with [the condition]. They sent me home with morphine and a few things and it was a learning process from there.”

Thirteen years later, Charlie “didn’t end up dying, he ended up thriving,” she said. When he was 5 years old, he underwent an experimental skin grafting procedure at the University of Minnesota in an attempt to make his skin stronger and less prone to blistering. Knuth called it a “transformation” for her young son, who had two “really good” years before his body rejected the graft and he began to suffer from aplastic anemia, a potentially deadly condition that occurs when the body doesn’t produce enough red blood cells.

In 2012, he underwent a stem cell transplant in an attempt to treat his severe EB. He was hospitalized for six months but eventually pulled through.

Charlie, who suffers from EB, was recently diagnosed with cancer.

Charlie, who suffers from EB, was recently diagnosed with cancer.
(Trisha Knuth/Facebook)

“He’s done pretty well after that second time. But he is constantly wounded, very fragile,” said Knuth.

But in recent months, Charlie began to complain of a sore throat — not uncommon for those with EB, as blisters can form on the inside of the body as well on the outside. The mouth and throat are commonly affected. But there were no visible blisters, raising his doctor’s suspicions. A CT scan later revealed enlarged lymph nodes in his neck and armpits. A biopsy later confirmed lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the body’s lymphatic system. Knuth called the diagnosis “another hurdle in his very hard life.”

“The pain was masked by EB. It’s hard to tell what’s what because EB causes so much pain,” she said.

Cancer treatment — often consisting of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery — is hard enough on an average person’s body. But those with EB face an entirely different battle; Knuth said nurses inserting an IV can’t use medical tape to help attach the drip, as the adhesive rips her son’s skin when removed. Oxygen and anesthesia masks are often a struggle as well, as are blood pressure cuffs.

Charlie (R) when he was younger.

Charlie (R) when he was younger.
(Trisha Knuth/Facebook)

“How do you treat someone who can’t be touched?” Knuth questioned, noting she has gone into the operating room with Charlie in times past to ensure he is not injured. “You can’t even imagine. [It’s like] being burned every day, and then bandaged, and now undergoing cancer treatment — it boggles the mind.”

When speaking to Fox News, Knuth and Charlie were in Minnesota, where doctors are working to build a treatment plan. The day after Christmas — which the pair are celebrating in an Airbnb — Charlie is slated to undergo a procedure to remove fluid from his spine and bone marrow from his hips. One of his affected lymph nodes will be taken for further testing.

In the meantime, Kevin is home with the couple’s 2-year-old adopted daughter, who also suffers from EB.

“He puts on a great outward attitude, but I know there is trauma.”

— Trisha Knuth

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“He is very brave and resilient and funny,” said Knuth of Charlie. But in addition to the physical pain, “He does have emotional pain; he puts on a great outward attitude, but I know there is trauma.”

When asked how she and Kevin manage it all, Knuth acknowledged theirs is a “crazy life.” But, she quickly noted, “I am very happy with this life. It’s hard. But when I die, I’ll know my life was fulfilled and great.”