What is Langya, the fresh zoonotic virus outbreak that infected 35 people in China?

What is Langya, the fresh zoonotic virus outbreak that infected 35 people in China?

Shandong and Henan, two Chinese provinces, have reported infections. According to CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang, the agency will soon establish a standardised process for domestic laboratories to perform genome sequencing and bolster surveillance.


Shandong and Henan, two Chinese provinces, have reported infections. According to CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang, the agency will soon establish a standardised process for domestic laboratories to perform genome sequencing and bolster surveillance.

On August 8, China confirmed 35 human infections with the zoonotic Langya virus (LayV). The cases were discovered in the provinces of Shandong and Henan on the Chinese mainland, according to information from the Taiwan Center for Disease Control (TCDC). According to the Taipei Times, authorities have chosen to start using nucleic acid testing procedures to find the virus and track its spread.

The Taipei CDC issued a precautionary alert, advising people to closely monitor the virus news. Chuang Jen-Hsiang, the deputy director of the Taiwan CDC, told the Taipei Times that no reports have yet indicated that the virus exhibits human-to-human transmission.

He added that so far, nearly 2% of goats and 5% of dogs and other domestic animals have tested positive for the virus after a thorough serological survey.

Shandong and Henan, two Chinese provinces, have reported infections. According to CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang, the agency will soon establish a standardised process for domestic laboratories to perform genome sequencing and bolster surveillance.

According to the Taipei Times, the virus can cause renal and hepatic failure and most likely is transmitted from animals to humans.

Chuang stated that Taiwan's laboratories will start developing a standardised method for genome sequencing soon and expect it to be finished in about a week.

Although there have not yet been any documented deaths linked to LayV, the issue needs to be watched closely, he said.

Symptoms of the virus

The symptoms that the 26 individuals experienced were fever, exhaustion, a cough, appetite loss, muscle discomfort, nausea, headaches, and vomiting. Additionally, they revealed a reduction in white blood cells. liver failure, renal failure, and a low platelet count.

What is the experts' next course of action?

Because Langya virus is a recently discovered virus, Taiwan's laboratories will need a standardised nucleic acid testing method to identify the virus, Chuang noted. This will allow human infections to be tracked, if necessary.

What is Langya, the fresh zoonotic virus outbreak that infected 35 people in China?