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How Worried Should We Be About the New Langya Virus?

It’s called the novel Langya henipavirus (LayV) — and although I, too, am tempted to join those people who hold “End of Days” signs on the side of the highway, there’s actually good reason to stay calm about this virus...

So, what’s the big deal? The reason some have expressed real concern about Langya is primarily because it belongs to a family of viruses called Henipaviruses; that includes the Nipah virus, which has a terrifyingly high fatality rate of up to 75%, per the World Health Organization. But if the Langya virus could spread from person-to-person that easily, it would already be ubiquitous, considering it was first found four years ago, as University College London Genetics…

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 Why it's worth keeping 'close eye' on new Langya virus that's infecting dozens in China

When scientists published a letter in early August announcing a little-understood virus was infecting dozens of people in China, it echoed headlines from more than two-and-a-half years earlier. A novel pathogen. People falling ill with fever, cough, fatigue. Both humans and animals getting infected. Sound familiar? In this case, the letter was about the arrival of the Langya henipavirus, and its likely links to animal populations, which might call to mind the early days of COVID-19 — or, as the virus behind it was known then, the "novel coronavirus."

Articles of Interest

Five things you need to know about Langya virus

Like Nipah and Hendra, that are often carried by fruit bats, LayV is also spread by a small mammal, in this case the shrew.

Global emergence of Langya virus: A serious public health concern

LayV has emerged as a threat following the Hendra and Nipah viruses, taking its name after a town called Langya in China. From its emergence in 2018, 35 cases of LayV infection have been reported, all in eastern China. To date, no deaths have been reported. Despite its low global prevalence, this novel virus could lead to a global public health crisis, especially due to the potential high mortality from earlier species of the henipavirus genus, which is why it cannot be underestimated

Is the emergence of the zoonotic Langya virus amidst COVID-19 and monkeypox a cause for concern?

To put things in perspective, amidst the two major viral outbreaks plaguing the world at present time, the emergence of a new virus belonging to a genus that houses the Nipah virus, one of the most fatal infections of all time, can be a cause of concern. Despite the possibility of severe manifestations in immunocompromised, it must be noted here that based on the current knowledge, LayV is not fatal. Although current evidence suggests that LayV is not transmitted from human-to-human, there is a possibility that the virus may evolve and acquire this trait.

Langya henipavirus: Is it a potential cause for public health concern?

A new virus, named Langya henipavirus (LayV), has recently been identified in Shandong and Henan provinces in China and has so far infected 35 individuals between April 2018 and August 2021. It is closely related to other known henipaviruses (Nipah and Hendra viruses) that can cause up to 70% human case fatality. Even though LayV has not been shown to be fatal in humans and does not appear to be transmitted from human-to-human, it is an RNA virus with the capacity to evolve genetically in the infected hosts (e.g. shrews) and can infect humans (e.g. farmers who have been in close contacts with shrews). It is therefore important to be vigilant about this new viral outbreak.

Langya virus, a newly identified Henipavirus in China - Zoonotic pathogen causing febrile illness in humans, and its health concerns

LayV belongs to the family Paramyxoviridae under the genus Henipavirus. This genus also contains the Hendra and Nipah virus which are responsible for causing fatal diseases in human. Both these viruses are zoonotic in nature and pose a constant threat to livestock animals and humans, but until now this is not the case with LayV

Langya virus: How serious is the new pathogen discovered in China?

LayV is part of a genus of viruses called henipaviruses that are typically harboured in fruit bats. The genus includes the Hendra virus, which was first identified in Australia in 1994 and is known to infect humans and horses. The Nipah virus, first identified in 1999 in Malaysia, is also part of this genus. Both infections have high fatality rates in people.

Newly identified Langya virus tracked after China reports dozens of cases

Virus, which causes symptoms including fever, fatigue, cough, loss of appetite and muscle aches, is believed to have spread from animals to humans.

What is this new Langya virus? Do we need to be worried?

It’s related to Hendra and Nipah viruses, which cause disease in humans. However, there’s much we don’t know about the new virus – known as LayV for short – including whether it spreads from human to human.