New Langya virus with high death rate 'spread by animals' - as symptom expert warns

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Thirty-five patients admitted to hospital in two of China's eastern provinces with fever were found to be infected with the newest virus Langya - believed to have been transmitted to humans through animals such as shrews

Langya virus is the newest member of the Henipavirus family (

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Patients infected with the newly discovered Langya virus developed a number of life-threatening symptoms, according to one of the scientists who found it.

Langya Henipavirus known as "Langya" is the newest member of a family of viruses known to kill in 75% of severe cases.

The alarm was first raised by a team of Chinese, Australian and Singaporean doctors after Langya, also known as LayV, was detected in 35 patients in two of China's eastern provinces.

The virus - which has been detected in people with a history of contact with animals - is thought to have originally been transmitted to humans by creatures like the shrew.

Speaking exclusively to The Mirror, Dr Zhu Feng – a researcher involved in its discovery – explained how some patients developed severe symptoms like pneumonia.

"All of them had a fever (that's why they went to the hospital), most of them had a cough or tiredness, but only a few had serious symptoms like pneumonia and a low platelet count, but all recovered," Dr. Feng said. , a researcher in the Emerging Infectious Diseases Program at Duke-NUS Medical School.

The virus was detected most in shrews - a mole-like animal (

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Dr. Feng said Langya is not as deadly as Hendranipavirus or Nipah because none of those infected died or needed to be admitted to intensive care.

Researchers still don't know the nature of the virus and have called f...