2023-07-13 18:15:00
Thai Society Prepares for Potential New Virus as COVID-19 Becomes Endemic
Even as COVID-19 continues to evolve and become an endemic or seasonal disease, Thailand is adapting to living with the virus and gradually returning to normal life through the country’s policy of opening up. Tourism, which plays a crucial role in driving the economy, has started to thrive again. However, Thai society is still filled with fear and frustration due to the silent deaths caused by the virus.
COVID-19 has forced Thai society, as well as the global community, to learn and pay attention to critical health issues. Recent news from the Medical Genome Center has raised concerns about whether or not we are ready to face a new virus after COVID-19.
The virus in question is called “Langya virus,” a member of the henipavirus family, which has the potential to replace the COVID-19 virus. It was first detected in patients with fever in eastern China in August 2022.
According to the researchers Dr. Ariel Isaacs and Dr. Yu Chang Low from the University of Queensland in Australia, published in the medical journal “Nature Communications” this month (June 2023), there is a high risk of a massive epidemic caused by the Langya virus within the less well-known henipa group. Although human-to-human transmission has not been identified yet, there has been an increase in animal-to-human transmission of the virus and its members. If the virus undergoes mutations that allow it to bind better to human cells, it could lead to human infections. The Medical Genome Center at Ramathibodi Hospital has already prepared mass array genotyping to detect this virus.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and scientists globally are anticipating the emergence of the next global infectious disease threat, apart from the COVID-19 virus. This threat could come from new strains or avian influenza viruses within the henipa group, including the Langya, Mojiang, Nipah, and Hendra viruses.
These viruses, including the Langya virus, are zoonotic diseases, transmitted from animals to humans. First identified in 2022 in Chinese farmers from Shandong and Henan provinces, the Langya virus belongs to the Paramyxoviridae family, along with the Mojiang, Hendra, and Nipah viruses. The mortality rate among infected individuals is over 70%, making it a dangerous virus that causes fever, severe respiratory symptoms, and potentially fatal pneumonia, similar to COVID-19. The virus has been found in mammals such as humans, dogs, and goats.
While the original host animal of the Langya virus is believed to be a small rodent-like mammal with a long pointed mouth (shrews), there have been no reported deaths caused by the virus in these animals, nor has person-to-person transmission been observed. However, researchers have issued warnings that the Langya virus has the potential to become a global health crisis, similar to the spread of the coronavirus worldwide. Currently, there is no specific cure or vaccine for this group of viruses, but scientists are actively working on developing them. The World Health Organization is closely monitoring outbreaks, and researchers emphasize the importance of being prepared to prevent these viruses from spiraling out of control.
Although there have been reports of individuals infected with the Langya virus experiencing respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, and fatigue after contact with small rodents, no deaths have been reported thus far.
Authorities in Thailand should remain vigilant and prepared to protect the population from potential new viruses like the Langya virus. The goal is to ensure that Thai people are informed and aware but not alarmed, while measures are put in place to prevent the spread of such diseases.]
#Aware #alarmed #Siam #Rath