China has not yet fully recovered from the shock of the COVID-19 outbreak when doctors sounded the alarm about a new threat, the Langya virus, which has infected 35 individuals. Langya belongs to a family of viruses known to kill up to three-quarters of humans in severe cases. Scientists believe that the shrew, a type of mammal akin to a mole, is the primary source of the disease's spread.
So far, none of the new cases discovered in Henan and Shandong provinces in eastern China have resulted in deaths, and most are mild, resembling flu symptoms. According to a study published in the "New England Journal of Medicine," researchers led by the Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology tracked symptoms in patients to understand how individuals are affected by the Langya virus.
The researchers found that the most common symptoms experienced by Langya patients include fever, fatigue, cough, loss of appetite, muscle aches, and nausea. Approximately 35% of patients experienced liver issues, while 8% reported a decline in kidney functions, as reported by the British newspaper "Daily Mail."
Researchers are also tracking the virus in animal groups to determine whether it spreads through pets and wildlife or if human-to-human transmission is the cause. They found the virus in 71 out of 262 shrews surveyed in the two Chinese provinces where the outbreak began. In addition to shrews, the virus has also been detected in dogs and goats. The study stated that currently, it is not possible to determine if there is human-to-human transmission of the disease.
Langya is a virus from the same family as the Nipah virus, which was first discovered in Malaysia and Singapore in 1999, causing 300 infections and leading to 100 deaths. There is currently no approved vaccine for the Nipah virus for humans, but at least eight vaccines are being tested on animals, including one produced by the University of Oxford.
