The excitement is high, in some places there is talk of a “new corona virus” in connection with a newly discovered virus in China. However, Langya henipavirus (LayV) is not a virus in the same family as Sars-CoV-2, nor does it appear to be spreading rapidly. A team of experts from China, Singapore and Australia reported on this newly detected virus in the New England Journal of Medicine.
According to this, 35 people were infected with it – but between late 2018 and early 2021. There was also no evidence of direct person-to-person transmission. Infections were mainly detected among farmers in two Chinese provinces.
Flu-like symptoms
Of the 35 affected, 26 were infected with only the Langya henipa virus. Symptoms ranged from fever, fatigue and coughing to muscle aches. In some of the patients there was also evidence of liver and kidney damage. No deaths were reported.
The virus is likely of animal origin, experts reported, and appears only sporadically in humans. According to media reports, those affected did not have close contact with each other and contact tracing did not reveal any infections in the family circle or in close contacts. However, more studies are needed to better understand the pathogen and the human diseases associated with it. In animal tests, the virus was mostly discovered in shrews, as researchers around Wei Liu of the Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology report.