The Langya virus has infected nearly 30 people in China; it most likely entered humans via shrews.
HIGHLIGHTS
- The virus has reportedly been found in throat swab samples
- The early patients of the virus are mainly farmers
- The virus was also detected in 2% of domestic goats and 5% of dogs
In some areas of China, a new virus outbreak is causing concern after 35 new cases were detected. The brand-new Langya Henipavirus (LayV), which was only recently discovered late last week, was initially discovered in the northeastern provinces of Shandong and Henan in 2018.
According to reports, the virus was discovered in throat swab samples taken from febrile patients in eastern China. According to reports, early viral sufferers are primarily farmers who have complained of weariness, coughing, appetite loss, and aches. Others have manifested aberrant blood cells, as well as liver and kidney damage.
The new virus has not caused any fatalities.
WHAT IS LANGYA VIRUS?
Scientists discovered the LayV viral RNA in over 200 shrews they studied, suggesting that they could be the natural reservoir of the virus. The virus is thought to have spread from animals to humans through a process known as zoonosis. Additionally, the virus was found in 2% of domestic goats and 5% of wild goats, according to The Guardian.
Scientists last week in a paper noted “investigators in China identified a new henipavirus associated with a febrile human illness. This virus was also found in shrews.” The paper has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).
Langya is part of the genus Henipavirus, which has a single-stranded RNA genome with a negative orientation. Unique features of henipaviruses Paramyxovirinae are their larger genomes, longer untranslated regions that are over 100 amino acids longer than any other known phosphoprotein in the family. It is an emerging cause of zoonosis in the Asia-Pacific region.
Researchers have said that the virus can cause severe disease in animals and humans and holds a biosafety Level 4 virus classification with a 40-75 per cent fatality rate.
IS THERE A VACCINE FOR LANGYA VIRUS?
So far there is No Vaccine for the novel virus.