On Tuesday, official media in Beijing reported that 35 people in China′s Shandong and Henan provinces have been infected with a new animal-derived henipavirus.

According to media reports cited by Global Times, the new strain of henipavirus, commonly known as the Langya henipavirus or LayV, was detected in throat swab samples taken from febrile patients in eastern China.

Researchers who participated in the study stated that the newly identified henipavirus, which may have originated from animals, is linked to some febrile instances and symptoms include fever, exhaustion, coughing, anorexia, myalgia, and nausea. Henipavirus does not have a vaccine, and supportive care is the only way to treat problems.

Wang Linfa, professor in the program for emerging infectious diseases at Duke-NUS Medical School who was involved in the study, said there is no need to panic, as the instances reported till date are not fatal or severe. (ETHealthWorld, August 10, 2022)