How dangerous is the Langya virus? China hit by new henipavirus that jumped from SHREWS to humans

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What is Langya virus and how was it discovered?

Langya was discovered in eastern China during surveillance testing of patients who had a fever along with a recent history of animal exposure. It is part of the Henipavirus family. Two species from the same family have been identified before; the Hendra virus and the Nipah virus. The WHO classifies Henipavirus as a biosafety Level 4 threat, in which death rate ranges between 40 and 75 percent, according to 9News. So far, no connected deaths have been reported.

The study by NEJM found the virus in 71 of 262 shrews - a small mole-like mammal - surveyed in the two Chinese provinces where the outbreak started, as per The Straits Times. It also said that human-to-human transmission of LayV, which is most closely related to the Mojiang virus, has not been observed. The study said, "Contact tracing of nine patients with 15 close-contact family members revealed no close-contact LayV transmission. But our sample size was too small to determine the status of human-to-human transmission for LayV." 

As per The Guardian, the virus was first detected in the northeastern provinces of Shandong and Henan in late 2018 but was only formally identified by scientists on August 8.

Symptoms of the virus

The symptoms experienced by 26 people were fever, exhaustion, a cough, appetite loss, muscle discomfort, nausea, headaches, and vomiting. Additionally, they exhibited a reduction in white blood cells, liver failure, renal failure, and a low platelet count.