According to an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) by scientists from
China and Singapore, a new type of animal-derived Henipavirus (also known as Langya henipavirus,
LayV) that can infect humans has been discovered in East China’s Shandong Province and Central China’s
Henan Province, and has so far infected 35 people in the two provinces.
According to media reports, the new Henipavirus was discovered in throat swab samples from febrile
patients in eastern China who had recently had contact with animals. According to study participants, this newly discovered Henipavirus, which may have originated in animals, is associated with some febrile cases, and infected people experience symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, anorexia, myalgia, and nausea.
Further investigation revealed that 26 of the 35 cases of Langya henipavirus infection in Shandong and
Henan provinces developed clinical symptoms including fever, irritability, cough, anorexia, myalgia,
nausea, headache, and vomiting.
According to Shanghai-based media thepaper.cn, henipavirus is one of the important emerging causes
of zoonosis in the Asia-Pacific region, noting that both Hendra virus (HeV) and Nipah virus (NiV) from
this genus are known to infect humans, with fruit bats serving as the natural host for both viruses.
According to study participants, this newly discovered Henipavirus, which may have originated in
animals, is associated with some febrile cases, and infected people experience symptoms such as fever,
fatigue, cough, anorexia, myalgia, and nausea.
Further investigation revealed that 26 of the 35 cases of Langya henipavirus infection in Shandong and
Henan provinces developed clinical symptoms including fever, irritability, cough, anorexia, myalgia,
nausea, headache, and vomiting.
According to Shanghai-based media thepaper.cn, henipavirus is one of the important emerging causes
of zoonosis in the Asia-Pacific region, noting that both Hendra virus (HeV) and Nipah virus (NiV) from
this genus are known to infect humans, with fruit bats serving as the natural host for both viruses.
According to World Health Organization (WHO) data, henipavirus can cause severe disease in animals
and humans and is classified as a biosafety Level 4 virus with case fatality rates ranging from 40 to 75
percent, which is significantly higher than the coronavirus fatality rate.
However, there is no vaccine or treatment for Henipavirus at this time, and the only option is supportive
care to manage complications.
There is no need for panic because the cases of Langya henipavirus so far have not been fatal or very
serious, according to Wang Linfa, a Professor in the Programme in Emerging Infectious Diseases at Duke-
NUS Medical School who was involved in the study, adding that it is still a cause for concern because
many viruses that exist in nature have unpredictable outcomes when they infect humans.
Until now, no significant spatial or temporal clustering of Langya henipavirus has been found, implying
that human-to-human transmission of the virus has not been proven, despite previous reports indicating
that the virus can be transmitted from person to person.
