Langya Virus: China has reported 35 cases of people infected with the Henipavirus, also known as Langya Virus (LayV) in eastern China’s Henan and Shandong provinces. Amid the COVID-19 and Monkeypox cases already doing rounds, the new zoonotic Langya virus has raised concerns. The first case of the Langya virus was reported in 2019. The Langya virus has been classified among biosafety level 4 (BSL4) pathogens.
Read further to know what the Langya virus, its symptoms, where did it originate, and how deadly is this new zoonotic virus.
What is Langya Virus?
The Langya virus is a zoonotic virus which means it can be transmitted from animals to humans. So far, there is no vaccine or treatment for the Langya virus. A recent study ‘A Zoonotic Henipavirus in Febrile Patients in China’ published in The New England Journal of Medicine stated that the newly discovered zoonotic virus is a ‘phylogenetically distinct Henipavirus’. Other viruses of the type Henipavirus discovered earlier are the Mojiang, Ghanian, Cedar, Nipah, and Hendra. Of these, Nipah and Hendra are known to have caused fatal illnesses in humans. The study has noted that the genome organization of the Langya virus is similar to that of other Henipaviruses.
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What are the symptoms of Langya Virus?
The study on the patients infected with the Langya virus (LayV) reported symptoms of:
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Cough
- Nausea
- Headache
- Vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Damaged liver function
- Damaged kidney function
- Thrombocytopenia (low platelet count)
- Leukopenia (low white blood cell count in turn reducing the body’s capability to fight infection)
Where did Langya Virus come from? Where was it first detected?
The Langya virus was first reported in China in 2019. As per the study, 35 patients infected with the Langya virus were found in Shandong and Henan provinces in China. The virus is likely to transmit from animals to humans. Test results from the study have noted shrews, goats, and dogs are prime carriers of the Langya Henipavirus.
How deadly is Langya Virus?
The Langya virus may potentially be fatal to humans in case of severe infections. Langya belongs to the same family of viruses as the deadly Nipah virus that is typically found in bats. Nipah also spreads through respiratory droplets like COVID-19 but is far more dangerous than coronavirus as it kills up to three-quarters of humans. The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed Nipah as the most likely to cause the next pandemic. Taiwanese CDC has said that a nucleic acid test will be conducted to sequence the virus and test the spread rate of the virus among humans.
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