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   Location:Home > News > News Updates
Sophie Williams flown to UK for treatment
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ArticleSource: Daily Post
Update time: 2015-08-06
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A Bangor University lecturer who fell critically ill while on a research trip to the Far East has been flown to the UK for treatment.

Dr Sophie Williams, a conservation expert, was struck by a  early in July and had been in a coma at a hospital in Bangkok.

But , 31, has now been flown to the Walton Centre in Liverpool for expert treatment on Japanese encephalitis, a type of viral brain infection spread through mosquito bites.

Mike Williams, Sophie’s father, said: “Sophie was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and unfortunately contracted the nasty disease.

“She was vibrant and passionate about her conservation work.”

The lecturer, from North Yorkshire, was undertaking botanical research with students from Bangor University 400 miles from the city of Kunming in China when she began to feel unwell on July 6.

She complained of feeling very tired, headaches and nausea before being found unconscious and taken to hospital.

A spokesman for  said: "Dr Sophie Williams, a lecturer in Conservation Science at Bangor University, fell ill during a visit to China.

“After initial assessment and treatment in China, she was transferred to another hospital in Bangkok and then flown back to the UK over the weekend.

“The staff of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanic Garden (XTBG), as well as the healthcare staff at the hospitals in Xishuangbanna and Bangkok, have provided excellent care and support for Sophie and her family.

"In addition, the staff of the British Embassy and the insurance company have provided invaluable assistance.

“Sophie, a highly respected and well-liked conservation expert, was working on the joint project between Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanic Garden and Bangor University’s Treborth Botanical Garden when she was taken ill. 

“All organisations have been very supportive to Sophie’s family and we wish Sophie a rapid recovery.”

According to the NHS, Japanese encephalitis is most common in rural areas throughout South East Asia, the Pacific islands and the Far East, but is very rare in travellers.

The virus is found in pigs and birds, and is passed to mosquitoes that bite the infected animals. It cannot be spread from person to person.

 

URL: http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/bangor-university-sophie-williams-hospital-9796388

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Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
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