Multiple Cases Of Novel ‘Langya’ Virus Reported In China

Around 35 people in north-eastern China’s Henan and Shandong provinces tested positive for Langya Virus.

The novel Langya henipavirus (LayV) was first detected in late 2018 but Chinese scientists formally identified it around the first week of August 2022.

Like Covid-19, the Langya virus is an animal-derived virus, likely to be transmitted from animals to humans.

Scientists found the LayV viral RNA in 71 shrews, out of a total of 262 shrews.

Symptoms include fever, fatigue, cough, loss of appetite, tendency to vomit and muscle aches.

The Langya henipavirus is found to belong to the same family as the fatal Nipah virus, typically found in bats.

So far, no deaths due to the zoonotic disease were reported. But the virus belongs to a family that can kill up to three-quarters of human beings if severely infected.

There are no vaccines or treatments available for the Langya virus at the moment.