A study raised the alarm about the suspected emergence of a “new virus” in China, after it infected 35 people in Shandong and Henan provinces over a period of nearly two years until 2021, according to the “Science Alert” website.
The virus is called “Langia henniba” and is known for short as “Ly V”, and it is related to the “Nipah” and “Hendra” viruses, which are able to “kill humans” after infection, according to the “New England Journal of Medicine”.
Where did the virus come from?
Researchers in China first discovered this new virus as part of routine monitoring of people with fever who reported recent contact with animals.
It was investigated whether domestic or wild animals were the source of the virus, and there was direct evidence that a large proportion of “wild fly” animals harbored the virus.
This indicates that humans may have contracted the virus from the fly, according to Science Alert.
What are the symptoms of the virus?
The reported symptoms were mostly mild such as “fever, fatigue, cough, loss of appetite, muscle aches, nausea, and headache”.
A smaller proportion of those infected had more serious complications, including pneumonia, and abnormalities in liver and kidney function, but no deaths from the disease were reported.
Is it transmitted between humans?
According to the study, there are no indications of “the possibility of transmission of the virus from one person to another”, but it is at the same time a close relative of two other viruses capable of transmitting between humans, namely “Nipah and Hendra”.
The “Hendra” virus was first reported in Queensland in 1994, when it caused the death of 14 horses and a trainer, according to the “Online Libre” website.
Nipah is considered one of the most dangerous viruses in the world, with outbreaks reported frequently in Bangladesh, according to the World Health Organization.
According to the study, “scientists do not know much about the new virus, and more work is needed to determine the severity of the infection, and how and how far it has spread in China and the region,” according to “Science Alert.”