Science Alert August 12, 2022
A new virus, Langya henipavirus (LayV) related to Hendra and Nipah viruses, is suspected to have caused infections in 35 people in China, who had contact with animals, over roughly a two-year period. Symptoms reported appeared to be mostly mild – fever, fatigue, cough, loss of appetite, muscle aches, nausea, and headache. A few had potentially more serious complications, including pneumonia, and abnormalities in liver and kidney function. A significant proportion of wild shrews were harboring the virus. According to the scientists LayV does not meet the criteria to cause disease outbreak in humans. This new virus appears to be a close cousin of two other viruses that are significant in humans: Nipah virus and Hendra virus. At this stage, there is no indication the virus can spread from human to human…read more.