According to reports, a potentially deadly new virus has been found in China and is thought to have been transmitted from shrews (small mole-like mammals) to people.
The New Virus
According to Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control, 35 people have already been infected with the Langya Henipavirus, sometimes known as “Langya,” although no one has passed away or developed a serious condition.
The virus has so far been identified in the Chinese provinces of Shandong and Henan, and there have been no reports of human-to-human transmission.
According to reports, 26 of the patients exhibit flu-like symptoms like fever, exhaustion, coughing, headaches, and vomiting.
Is This The Next Pandemic?
University College London professor of computational systems biology Francois Balloux stated that the Langya virus did not “look like a repeat of Covid-19 at all.”
A new zoonotic virus called Langya henipavirus (LayV) has been characterised. 35 cases in humans have been found so far in 2 Chinese provinces. The first human infection identified dates back to 2018. Thus, it is not spreading fast in humans.
— Prof Francois Balloux (@BallouxFrancois) August 9, 2022
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He stated on Twitter that the new virus “probably doesn’t transmit easily from human to human” and is far less deadly than existing henipaviruses.
