The coronavirus pandemic still continues 2 years after its onset. A while ago, the monkeypox virus came to the attention of the world. Now, a new virus is on the agenda: Langya henipavirus (LayV). So what is this new Langya Virus? How scary? What are the symptoms? What is known about him? Let’s see together…
WHAT IS LANGYA VIRUS?
Scientists are tracking the spread of the new Langya henipavirus (LayV) in China, where 35 cases have been reported. The virus was first detected in the northeastern provinces of Shandong and Henan in 2018, but was officially identified last week after the number of cases in China rose to 35.
According to a study published last week by the Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, cases of Langya virus were identified after examining several patients with fever in eastern China. After identifying the Langya virus in one of the patient’s throat swabs, researchers detected the virus in 35 people, mostly farmers, in Shandong and Henan provinces. They are thought to have contracted the virus from animals. So far there is no evidence that LayV can be transmitted between humans.
The paper on the detection of LayV by researchers from China, Singapore and Australia was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
HOW IS THE VIRUS TRANSMITTED?
According to the BBC’s report, the virus, which emerged in Henan and Shantung provinces, is thought to have passed from animals to humans. The researchers detected the virus predominantly in shrews. In tests conducted by scientists, LayV was found in 27 percent of shrews, while 5 percent of dogs and 2 percent of goats were found to have the virus.
Researchers tested wild animals and found LayV viral RNA in more than a quarter of 262 mice, a finding suggesting that the mole-like mammal “the shrew may be a natural reservoir,” the Guardian reported.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF LANGYA VIRUS?
According to the news reported by Euronews, the most common symptom of the Langya virus seems to be fever. Those infected with the virus also reported fatigue (54 percent of patients), loss of appetite (50 percent), muscle pain (46). After being infected with the virus, cough (50 percent), nausea (38 percent), headache and vomiting (35 percent) were seen. Some cases also developed blood cell abnormalities and signs of liver and kidney damage, but none of the infected patients died.
The symptoms of the virus in humans are summarized as follows:
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Fire
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Tiredness
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Cough
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Anorexia
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Muscle pains
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nausea, vomiting
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Headache
The scientists said all infected people had a fever. The virus was the only potential pathogen found in 26 of 35 people, suggesting “LayV is the cause of febrile illness”.
Scientists sequenced the LayV genome and determined that it is a henipavirus, a category of zoonotic RNA viruses that includes Hendra virus and Nipah virus. Hendra virus, which infects horses and humans and originates from Australia, and the Nipah virus, which causes disease outbreaks in Southeast Asia, have been associated with high mortality rates.
According to the report, LayV is most closely related to the Mojiang virus, which was discovered in southern China.
IS IT TRANSMITTED BETWEEN PEOPLE? NOT CLEAR YET
The researchers said it is still unclear whether the virus can be transmitted between humans. Most of the 35 cases were farmers, and other infected individuals included factory workers. “Contact tracing of nine patients with 15 close contact family members did not reveal close contact LayV transmission, but our sample size was too small to determine human-to-human transmission,” the researchers said.
HOW SCARY?
Wang Linfa, a researcher at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, told the Global Times that the cases of LayV found so far have not been fatal or very serious, so there is “no need to panic”. However, Wang said caution still needs to be exercised, as many viruses that exist in nature have unpredictable consequences when they infect humans.
The Taiwan Center for Disease Control said on Sunday it is “closely interested” in the development of LayV.
ZOONOTIC VIRUSES ARE MORE ON THE AGENDA
According to the BBC’s report, zoonotic viruses are very common but have received more attention since the beginning of the Covid pandemic. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention points out that 3 out of every 4 viruses seen in humans may have passed from animals to humans.
The United Nations has previously warned that the world will see more such diseases due to exploitation of wildlife, destruction of nature and climate change.
Some zoonotic viruses can be potentially fatal to humans. These include Nipah virus, which has periodic outbreaks among animals and humans in Asia, and Hendra virus, which was first detected in horses in Australia. Other related henipaviruses have also been found in mice, bats and rodents.
