Dozens in China Infected With New ‘Langya’ Virus Carried by Shrews
A Shrew.
Photographer: G. Cappelli/De Agostini Editorial/Getty Images
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Nearly three dozen people in China have been sickened by a newly identified virus from the same family as the deadly Nipah and Hendra viruses, though there’s no evidence the pathogen can be transmitted from person-to-person.
The virus, named Langya henipavirus or LayV, was found thanks to an early detection system for feverish people with a recent history of exposure to animals in eastern China. The patients -- mainly farmers -- also reported fatigue, cough, loss of appetite and aches, with several developing blood-cell abnormalities and signs of liver and kidney damage. All survived.