Scientists are tracking a novel virus originating from animals that have infected at least dozens of people in eastern China.
The novel Langya henipavirus (LayV) was identified in 35 patients from the provinces of Shandong and Henan. Many had symptoms like fever, exhaustion, and a cough.
It is believed that they caught the virus from animals. There is yet no indication that LayV can transfer between humans.
Researchers discovered the virus primarily in voles.
The result was emphasized in a letter written by Chinese, Singaporean, and Australian experts and published this month in the New England Journal of Medicine.
One of the researchers, Wang Linfa of the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, told China’s state-run Global Times that the cases of LayV discovered to date have not been fatal or extremely severe, so there is “no reason to panic.”
Mr. Wang noted, however, that there is still a need for vigilance, as many naturally occurring viruses have unknown effects when they infect humans.
Scientists discovered LayV in 27% of tested shrews, indicating that the mole-like creatures may be “natural reservoirs” for the virus. Approximately 5% of canines and 2% of goats tested positive for it.
Sunday, Taiwan’s Center for Disease Control stated that it was “closely monitoring” the emergence of LayV.
LayV is a henipavirus, a type of zoonotic virus that can spread from animals to humans.
Zoonotic viruses are quite widespread, but since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, they have gained greater attention.
Scientists at the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that three out of every four new or emerging infectious illnesses in humans are transmitted by animals.
The United Nations had previously warned that rising animal exploitation and climate change will increase the prevalence of such illnesses.
Some zoonotic viruses have the potential to kill humans. The Nipah virus, which causes periodic epidemics among animals and humans in Asia, and the Hendra virus, which was initially found in horses in Australia, are examples.
Other closely similar henipaviruses have been discovered in shrews, bats, and rodents.
