Langya Virus: A new virus outbreak is raising concerns in parts of China as 35 new cases have emerged. The novel Langya Henipavirus (LayV) was first detected in the northeastern provinces of Henan and Shandong in the year 2018 and was officially detected late last week.
Reportedly, the virus has been found in throat swab samples from patients in eastern China. Reports indicate that the early patients of this virus have reported fatigue, aches, cough, and loss of appetite. Some patients also showed signs of blood-cell abnormalities and signs of kidney and liver damage.
What is Langya Virus?
The Langya virus is suspected to have been transmitted from animals to humans in a zoonosis process. Scientists found the LayV viral RNA in about 200 shrews they tested hinting that they could be the natural reservoir for this virus. As per The Guardian, the virus was also detected in 5% of dogs and 2% of domestic goats.
Langya is part of the genus Henipavirus, which has a single-stranded RNA genome having a negative orientation. Unique features of henipaviruses Paramyxovirinae are their larger genomes, longer untranslated regions that are more than 100 amino acids longer than any other known phosphoprotein in the family.
Researchers have said that the Virus can cause severe disease in animals and humans and holds a 40-75% fatality rate.
Is there a Vaccine for Langya Virus?
There is no vaccine available for this novel Langya Virus.
