Researchers have issued a warning over a new virus found to have infected 35 people in eastern China.
The Langya Henipavirus known as “Langya” belongs to a family of viruses known to kill up to 75% of severe infected cases.
However, none of the current Langya infections have yet been fatal.
Experts believe the virus was originally transmitted by animals including shrews.
Chinese doctors have raised the alarm after Langya, also known as LayV, has seen a rise in infection rates in the country.
Researchers are investigating whether the virus can spread from person-to-person after it is believed to have originated from by shrews – small mammals from the same family as hedgehogs and moles.
The virus was first detected in humans in 2018 with Taiwanese authorities currently setting up new testing to monitor transmissions.
Where does Langya virus come from?
Chinese researchers found the virus in 71 of 262 shrews tested after initial infection reports.
Alongside shrews, the virus was also found in dogs and goats.
Langya is from the same family of viruses known as Nipah, which - similar to Covid - spreads through respiratory droplets.
The virus has been listed as one of the viruses most likely to cause the next pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Symptoms of Langya virus
Langya was discovered in eastern China during surveillance testing of patients who had fever along with a recent history of animal exposure.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine further analysed the virus after it was identified and isolated from throat swab samples.
The research involved 26 patients to identify the main accompanying symptoms associated with the infection.
The most reported symptom came up as fever with all 26 presenting this symptom; second was fatigue (54%), and cough (50%) followed by nausea (38%).
The study also found of the total 26, "35% complained of headache and vomiting”.
The virus was found to greatly affect a person’s disease-fighting capabilities.
Abnormalities also noted in the study caused by the Langya virus include:
- Leukopenia (low white blood cells) (54%)
- Thrombocytopenia (low blood platelet count) (35%)
- Impaired liver (35%)
- Loss of kidney function (8%).
Is there a vaccine for Langya?
As yet, there is no Langya virus vaccine to protect people against the newly identified disease.
So far the henipavirus has only been found in two of China's provinces - Shandong and Henan - and there is no sign yet of human-to-human transmission.
