The novel Langya henipavirus (LayV) was found in 35 patients in the Shandong and Henan provinces in China. Many had symptoms such as fever, fatigue and a cough. It is suspected that the infected people caught the virus from animals. There is no evidence so far that LayV can transmit amongst humans.
Shrews were found to be predominantly carrying the virus. A letter written by researchers from China, Singapore and Australia and published in the New England Journal of Medicine this month highlighted this finding.
One of the researchers, Wang Linfa from the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, told China’s state-run 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, Mr Wang added, that there is still a need to be alert as many viruses that exist in nature have unpredictable results when they infect humans.
The scientists said LayV was found mostly in shrews, suggesting the mole-like mammals could be “natural reservoirs” for the new virus. About 5% of dogs and 2% of goats also showed signs of carrying this virus.
On Sunday, Taiwan’s Center for Disease Control said it was paying “close attention” to the new developments.
LayV is a type of henipavirus, a category of zoonotic viruses. These viruses can transmit from animals to humans. Despite being common, Zoonotic viruses have piqued scientists’ interest since the start of the Covid pandemic.
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention said experts estimate that three out of every four new or emerging infectious diseases in humans come from animals. The United Nations had earlier warned the world will see more of such diseases with more and more exploitation of wildlife and climate change.
