A scientific study revealed the detection in two Chinese provinces of 35 infections in humans of a new virus of animal origin of the Henipavirus type, state media reported today. The cases, none of them seriouswere found in Shandong (east) and Henan (center), according to the official newspaperGlobal Times‘which cites a paper published by Chinese and Singaporean scientists in the ‘New England Journal of Medicine‘, one of the most prestigious medical journals in the world.
The virus, for which no there are currently vaccines or treatmentswas detected through samples taken from the throat of patients who had recent contact with animals and is associated with symptoms such as fever, tiredness, cough, loss of appetite, headaches, muscle aches, and nausea.
According to the newspaper, subsequent investigations revealed that 26 of the 35 carrier patients of this Henipavirus developed these clinical symptoms, to which irritability and vomiting are added.
According to the state news portal ‘The Paper’ the Henipavirus is one of the main emerging causes of the leap in animal diseases to humans (a process called zoonosis) in the Asia-Pacific region.
No person-to-person transmission
Said medium indicates that one of the virus transmission vectors are fruit bats, considered natural hosts of two of the known Henipaviruses: Hendra virus (HeV) and Nipah virus (NiV).
The World Health Organization (WHO) points out that the virus Hendra causes infections in humans ranging from asymptomatic to respiratory infections acute infections and severe encephalitis, with an estimated fatality rate of between 40 and 75% that “may vary depending on local epidemiological investigation and clinical management capabilities”.
Related news
At the moment, affirms the ‘Global Times’, There is no evidence of person-to-person transmission. although previous reports indicate that this type of contagion is not ruled out either.
“The coronavirus will not be the last contagious disease causing a pandemic, as new diseases will have an increasing impact on the daily life of the human race,” said the deputy director of the Department of Infectious Pathology at Huashan Hospital, affiliated with Fudan University (Shanghai).