China has discovered a deadly new virus believed to have been transmitted to humans by shrews.
The Langya henibavirus, also known as “Langya,” has already infected 35 people, though none have died or become seriously ill, according to Taiwan’s Center for Disease Control. The Taipei Times.
The outlet noted that the virus has so far been detected in China’s Shandong and Henan provinces, and human-to-human transmission has not yet been reported.
Twenty-six patients reportedly suffered from flu-like symptoms including fever, fatigue, cough, headache and vomiting.
The new virus belongs to the Henipavirus family, which includes two previously identified viruses, Hendravirus and Nipahvirus. No vaccination and, inside According to the World Health Organization, in severe cases, it can have a mortality rate of up to 75 percent.
The development of a new henipavirus appears in a study titled “”A zoonotic henipavirus in febrile patients in China” It was published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine.
“There was no close contact or common exposure history among patients, suggesting that infection may be sporadic in the human population,” the study said.
Among 25 species of wild small animals tested, the study found that the virus was predominantly found in shrews (27 percent), and said that this “suggests that shrews may be a natural reservoir of Levi’s.”
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