A LEADING Bangor conservationist who was left in critical condition with a viral brain infection is out of her coma. 

Sophie Williams, who lectures at Bangor University, was infected with Japanese encephalitis while working in China in July.

The 31-year-old, of Yorkshire, was on a research trip in Asia when she contracted the virus, which is spread through mosquito bites, and was treated in a Bangkok hospital before flying back home.

She recently came out of her coma and appears to recognise her friends.

Her father Mike said: "It is a small step but the family are extremely relived and pleased.

"Some of her friends have also been to see her and Sophie appears to be showing signs that she recognises them.”

Staff and students from Bangor University have created a book containing messages of support, photos, stories, and poems for her.

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

“We wish Sophie a rapid recovery.”

Well-wishers left messages of support on the Facebook page of Drymbago, a band who Dr Williams is a member of.

A statement from the band read: “Get well soon and back to us as quick as you can.

“We miss you and love you dearly.”

Japanese encephalitis is common in rural areas of South East Asia and the Pacific islands and the Far East, but is rare in travellers.

There is no cure for the disease so treatment is focused on relieving clinical symptoms and supporting the patient to overcome the infection.

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

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URL: http://www.northwaleschronicle.co.uk/news/152238/bangor-conservationist-sophie-williams-comes-out-of-coma.aspx

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Bangor lecturer Sophie Williams 'seriously ill' in hospital

A north Wales university lecturer remains in a serious condition in hospital after falling ill during a visit to China, her father said.

Bangor University's Dr Sophie Williams has been struck by a viral brain infection spread by mosquito bites.

Mike Williams said his daughter had suffered brain damage since contractingJapanese encephalitis in Xishuangbanna in the Yunnan province in July.

She is being treated at Leeds' St James's University Hospital.

Mr Williams, a newsagent in north Yorkshire, said: "She can wiggle a finger and a toe, and a foot very slightly. She can't move her head. There's virtually no movement.

"She is getting a lot of physiotherapy and although she's paralysed, they are trying their best.

'She astounded everyone'

"She's on a ventilator, but it's a ventilator that allows her to breathe on her own if she can.

"She astounded everyone yesterday because she started to breathe on her own for a few hours."

Dr Williams had been working on a joint project between Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanic Garden and Bangor University's Treborth Botanical Garden.

She was taken to a local hospital before being transferred to another hospital in Bangkok, Thailand.

She was returned to the UK and has since been transferred to Leeds from the Walton Centre in Liverpool after initially being in a coma.

URL: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-34143667