The zoonotic Langya virus has been discovered in China, with 35 human infections reported thus far, according to Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC), who also stated that Taipei would develop a nucleic acid testing method to identify the virus and monitor its spread, according to media reports.
The Langya henipavirus, discovered in China’s Shandong and Henan provinces, may be transferred from animals to people, according to the Taipei Times. According to a study, human-to-human transmission of the virus has not been reported, according to Taiwan’s CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang on Sunday. However, he added that the CDC has yet to determine whether the virus can be transmitted among humans and cautioned people to pay close attention to further updates about the virus.
He stated that 2% of the tested goats and 5% of the tested canines were positive in the serological study done on domestic animals.
According to the CDC Deputy Director, the test findings of 25 wild animal species show that the shrew (a tiny insectivorous mammal resembling a mouse) may be a natural reservoir of the Langya henipavirus, as the virus was discovered in 27 percent of the shrew individuals.
Furthermore, according to a report published on Thursday in the Novel England Journal of Medicine titled “A Zoonotic Henipavirus in Febrile Patients in China,” a new henipavirus related with a fever-causing human ailment was detected in China.
The study found 35 individuals in China’s Shandong and Henan provinces with acute Langya henipavirus infection, with 26 of them solely infected with the Langya virus and no other diseases.
According to Chuang, the 35 patients in China did not have close contact or a shared exposure history, and contact tracing revealed no viral transmission among close contacts or relatives, implying that human infections are rare.
Fever, lethargy, cough, lack of appetite, muscular soreness, nausea, headache, and vomiting were among the symptoms experienced by the 26 individuals. They also demonstrated a reduction in white blood cells. Low platelet count, liver failure, and renal failure are all possibilities.
Because the Langya virus is a newly discovered virus, Taiwan’s laboratories will need a standardised nucleic acid testing procedure to identify the virus so that human infections can be tracked if necessary, according to Chuang.
Concerning COVID, Shanghai people were subjected to unparalleled neglect, harassment, and abuse as a result of China’s Zero-Covid policy, with leaked footage on social media revealing gross human rights breaches.
Taiwan’s bid to attend the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer was denied for the sixth year in a row in 2022, as the Chinese government has been preventing Taiwan’s representation.
China was not forthcoming about the COVID situation, how it was being handled, and how it was mainly concerned with its own interests.
Taiwan, on the other hand, was able to manage the COVID situation better than others, and it was also far more upfront about the challenges it had, so there has been a lot of praise for Taiwan in that aspect, according to experts.
