Langya henipavirus is a newly-identified zoonotic disease—meaning, it's a virus that jumps from animals to humans.
Langya virus: A zoonotic virus Langya has been reported in China, with 35 people infected so far. The new type of Henipavirus has been found in China's Shandong and Henan provinces, Taipei Times reported.
New Delhi: Langya henipavirus, which has infected 35 people in two provinces of China so far, has the potential to cause acute liver and kidney infection, according to an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) by scientists from China and Singapore. The viral strain has been identified from the throat swab of febrile people with recent exposure to animals.
So far, no reports of human-to-human transmission have been observed. The virus is entirely novel, meaning it has never infected humans. Further studies about the virus will establish if human-to-human transmission of this strain is possible.
However, the study said, "there was no close contact or common exposure history among the patients, which suggests that the infection in the human population may be sporadic.
Where did Langya virus start?
The viral infection has been found the virus in 71 of 262 shrews - a small mole-like mammal - surveyed in the two Chinese provinces where the outbreak started, the Daily Mail reported. Alongside shrews, the virus was also spotted in dogs (5 percent) and goats (2 percent). However, the strain is not very invasive and dies out on its own most of the time.
Symptoms of the Langya virus:
- Fever
- Irritability
- Cough
- Anorexia
- Myalgia
- Nausea
- Headache
- Vomiting
It has been suggested by doctors that the symptoms of the viral infection are not serious and life-threatening. Basic supportive care is needed to contain the infection since there is no vaccine available. The doctors also suggest that there is no need to panic about the disease as it seems non-invasive so far.
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