BEIJING One Scientific study yielded the discovery in two provinces Chinain 35 human cases of a new virus of animal originof the type henipavirus. The information was released by the Asian country’s state press this Tuesday, April 9.
The patients, none with a severe case, were registered shandongin eastern China and in henanin the middle, according to local newspaper Global Times, which cites an article published by researchers from China and Singapore in the New England Journal of Medicine, one of the most prestigious medical journals in the world.
The virus, for which there is no vaccine or treatment, has been detected in samples taken from the throats of infected people who have had recent animal contact. Reported symptoms include signs of fever, fatigue, cough, loss of appetite, headache, muscle pain and nausea.
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Security is seen outside the Huanan Seafood Market, where the coronavirus was discovered in Wuhan, in this file photo.
According to the Chinese newspaper, further investigation revealed that 26 of the 35 patients who carried this henipavirus developed these clinical symptoms and, in some cases, irritability and vomiting.
According to staterun website The Paper, the virus is one of the top emerging causes of the transition from animal to human disease (processes called zoonosis) in the AsiaPacific region.
The publication indicates that one of the transmission vectors of the virus are flying foxes (Pteropodidae), which are considered natural hosts of the wellknown henipaviruses Hendra (HeV) and Nipah (NiV).
THE World Health Organization (WHO) points out that in humans, HeV causes infections ranging from asymptomatic to acute respiratory infections and severe encephalitis, with a mortality rate of 40% to 57%, which may vary “depending on local capacities for epidemiological investigations and clinical management”.
So far, humantohuman transmission has not been proven, according to the Global Times, although previous reports suggest the possibility of such contagion cannot be ruled out.
“Coronavirus will not be the last contagious disease to cause a pandemic as new diseases will have increasing impact on mankind’s daily life,” said a deputy director of the Department of Infectious Pathology at Huashan Hospital in China.
Studies published in the scientific journal Science showed that the Market in Wuhan, China, from activities related to wildlife trade, was the epicenter of SARSCoV2 emergence (new coronavirus).
The search for the origins of the virus has become one complicated diplomatic problemthe effect of which worsened China’s relations with the United States United States and many of his allies. The US and other countries say the Asian country has not been transparent about what happened in the early days of the pandemic. China defends itself by saying that the issue is being politicized and should be left to scientists./WITH EFE