Detected in China a new type of hepanovirus of animal origin that has already infected 35 people

A scientific study revealed the detection in two Chinese provinces where 35 people are infected with a new virus of animal origin of the type Henipavirus, as reported. The cases, none of them serious, were found in Shandong (east) and Henan (center), according to the official newspaper ‘Global Times’, which cites an article published by Chinese and Singaporean scientists in the ‘New England Journal of Medicine’, one of the most prestigious medical publications in the world.

The virus, for which there are currently no vaccines or treatments, was detected by samples taken from the throat of patients who had had recent contact with animals and is associated with symptoms such as fever, tiredness, cough, loss of appetite, headaches and muscle aches and nausea. Subsequent research revealed that 26 of the 35 patients carrying this Henipavirus developed these clinical symptoms, to which irritability and vomiting are added.

Henipavirus is one of the main emerging causes of the leap from animal diseases to humans, donominated zoonosis process, in the Asia-Pacific region. This means indicates that one of the vectors of transmission of the virus are the fruit bats, considered natural hosts of two of the known Henipaviruses: the Hendra virus (HeV) and the Nipah virus (NiV).

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the Hendra virus causes infections in humans ranging from asymptomatic to acute respiratory infections and severe encephalitis, with an estimated fatality rate of between 40% and 75 “may vary depending on local epidemiological research and clinical management capabilities”. At the moment, says the ‘Global Times’, it has not been proven that there is person-to-person transmission, although previous reports indicate that this type of contagion is also not disposable. ” The coronavirus will not be the last contagious disease to cause a pandemic, as new diseases will have an increasing impact on the daily life of the human race”, declared the deputy director of the Department of Infectious Pathologies of the Huashan hospidal, affiliated to the University of Fudan (Shanghai).

What is known so far

• There are 35 infected in China.
• There is no vaccine and there are no treatments so far.
• Symptoms include fever, tiredness, cough, loss of appetite, headaches and muscle aches, and nausea.
• It’s transmitted from animals to humans.
• Its mortality rate is 40 to 75 per cent

Coronavirus and Henipavirus

Henipavirus is not the only virus that worries China right now. The country remains on alert for the coronavirus and borders Hainan Island after detecting an outbreak of covid-19. China’s National Health Commission today announced the detection of 380 new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus positives. More than 290 cases, including 297 infections, are local and concentrated in Hainan. On the other hand, a German study has found a genetic variant that reduces VOCID mortality by 35%.