A second case of rat hepatitis E has been reported in a human in Hong Kong. This is also the second recorded globally, CNN reported.

A 70-year-old woman from the Wong Tai Sin district of Hong Kong was diagnosed with the disease this month, Hong Kong's Department of Health announced. She does not recall having direct contact with rodents or their excreta (feces and bodily fluids)=

The woman was admitted to a public hospital on May 4, 2017, for headache, anorexia, malaise, abdominal pain and palpitations, which she had developed since May 1, 2017.

She soon recovered and was discharged four days later, on May 8. The woman had underlying illnesses, according to the Department of Health.

First case reported in September

In September, the first case was reported, involving a 56-year old man. Before this, it was not known that the disease could be passed from rats to humans.

There had been no previous evidence that this strain of the virus could be transmitted to humans.

The human version of hepatitis E is usually spread through contaminated drinking water.