Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease in six epidemic provinces of China and was identified to be caused by a novel bunyavirus in 2009. It is progressive in nature and potentially fatal. SFTS usually occurs as sporadic cases and is considered a tick-transmitted disease. Here we present a group of three patients with proven SFTS and one with probable SFTS, for whom the epidemiological data show person-to-person transmission characteristics. The index patient and two secondary patients died. None reported a tick bite. Copyright © 2012 International Society for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.