Covid is scary, smallpox is worrying… how should we react to this new virus emanating from China? It is called Langya and 35 cases have already been detected. According to virologist Marc Van Ranst, interviewed by HLN, new viruses are discovered regularly and it remains to be seen how serious the situation is.
According to a report entitled “A Zoonotic Henipavirus in Febrile Patients in China” published in the medical journal “The New England Journal of Medicine”, it is a new henipavirus, the best known of which are Nipahvirus and Hendravirus, of which the former does not enjoy a good reputation. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the mortality rate of incurable Nipah disease is 40-75%.
In terms of symptoms, some are very similar to those we now know because of the Covid. Patients with Langya developed fever (100% of patients), fatigue (54%), cough (50%), loss of appetite (50%), muscle aches (46% ), nausea (38%), headache (35%) and vomiting (35%).
Marc Van Ranst does not yet warn of this situation: the cases are currently only reported in China and no one has died. “Patients present with a flu-like syndrome with reduced kidney and liver function.” According to him, new viruses are discovered regularly. And “we do not know if this one presents a serious risk. That remains to be seen. 35 cases is not a lot. And we still have no idea about asymptomatic infections. »
Van Ranst’s lab is already developing a specific PCR test.
According to the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC), no human-to-human transmission has yet been reported. A test carried out on 25 species of wild animals has identified the shrew as a possible reservoir of the new virus. The virus was found in 27% of the shrews tested.