China: new virus identified that also affects liver and kidneys; what do we know
A new virus that also affects the liver and kidneysNot just COVID, there is now another new virus that has infected 35 people in China, in the provinces of Shandong and Henan. Is called Langya virus (LayV), of the genus henipavirus, and was identified in throat swabs thanks to the metagenomic analysis and then to the isolation of the pathogen.
Described in a study by scientists from China and Singapore and published in the ‘Nejm‘, this infection, a zoonosis, causes symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough and can also impair liver and kidney function. Currently, as reported by beraking latest news, there is no vaccine or treatment for l’henipavirus; the only therapy is the management of complications.
The genus henipavirus is one of the emerging zoonoses in the Asia-Pacific region. In fact, other viruses of this ‘family’ have been observed, such as Hendra (HeV) and Nipah (NiV), which can infect humans and find their natural host in bats. According to the World Health Organization, henipaviruses can cause serious diseases in animals and humans and are classified with a biosecurity level 4, i.e. with mortality rates between 40 and 75%. Much higher than Covid.