All you need to know about Langya Henipavirus

The virus is called Langya Henipavirus (LayV).

Where was it found?

Scientists detected Langya Henipavirus in 35 people living in the Shandong and Henan provinces of China.

How was the virus detected?

The virus was found in the throat swab samples of patients who came complaining of fever in eastern China.

When were the cases detected?

The cases were detected from July 2020 onward, though the majority of them were reported this year. The virus was also detected in humans way back in 2019.

Is it fatal?

The good news so far is that there have been no fatalities reported among humans due to the virus infection.

Henipavirus is known to cause severe disease in animals and humans, with the fatality rate ranging from 40-75%, going by the World Health Organization (WHO) estimation.

How does the virus spread?

So far, the virus is known to only jump from infected animals to humans. No evidence of human-to-human transmission has been found yet.

What are the symptoms of LayV infection?

Patients developed symptoms like fever, fatigue, a cough, loss of appetite, muscle pain, nausea, headache and vomiting. Other serious abnormalities include a deficiency in blood platelet count, loss in white cells, impaired liver and reduced kidney function.

What do we know about the virus?

Langya Henipavirus belongs to the same family of viruses as the deadly Nipah virus.

Prevention: Patients should avoid contact with an animal. Besides, avoid close contact with anyone who is sick. Since there is no treatment or vaccine for Langya virus as of now, we need to be extra careful to prevent it.