WOMENFirst, three dozen people in China have been sickened by a newly identified virus from the same family as the deadly Nipah and Hendra viruses, although there is no evidence that the pathogen can be transmitted from person to person.
The virus, called Langya henipavirus or LayV, was found thanks to an early detection system of febrile people with a recent history of contact with animals in eastern China. The patients – mostly farmers – also reported fatigue, cough, loss of appetite and aches, with some developing blood cell abnormalities and signs of liver and kidney damage. All survived.
Of the 35 patients, 26 were infected with LayV only, according to one Published report inside New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers said there was no evidence that they had been in close contact or shared a history of exposure, suggesting that human transmission may be sporadic. Tests detected the virus in 27% of shrews, a known intermediate for the same henipavirusThey suggest that small, furry, mole-like mammals may be a natural reservoir, they say.
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According to researchers from Beijing, Singapore and Australia, further investigation is needed to better understand the infection. Taiwan’s Center for Disease Control said attention report, and plan to begin screening for the virus.
The spread of germs from animals to humans, called zoonoses, is popular, which accounts for more than six out of 10 known infectious diseases in humans, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of the time they cause limited disease, which slowly dies without major impact. However, in the aftermath of Covid-19, more tracking systems have now been deployed and found new pathogens.
With support from Linda Lew.
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