The world is tired, stressed, and suffering from the last global pandemic, the Covid-19 virus. For much of 2020 and through 2022, the entire world was in a state of lockdowns, travel bans, business closures, supply hoarding, homelessness, and rattled economies. Disputes between mandatory mask wearing, testing, vaccination, and social distancing tested the resolve of civilizations. Finally, we are past that stage and into the recovery stage, while some countries are ‘living’ with Covid-19, other countries are still imposing strict quarantine procedures, like China, where the Covid-19 virus originated. But what if this whole ordeal, albeit a crushing ordeal, was a setup for what is to come next? What if I were to tell you that we, as Earthlings, face another possible pandemic? We are not talking about Monkeypox or a resurgence of Polio. No, these two germs already have vaccines and treatments in place. The looming threat is something no one has ever seen. The next threat is new to humanity, just like the coronavirus that caused Covid-19, SARS Cov-19, this new threat has never shown its face to the public. This new threat can be the next killer bug, one that can completely incapacitate society as we know it. Or it can spread and present debilitating effects, like deformities, while keeping the victim alive. This is the Langya Virus!
What is the Langya Virus?
Langya Henipavirus, also known as the Langya virus, is a newly detected zoonotic highly-transmissible viral disease that originated in shrews in China. To learn more about shrews, visit the Britannica page on shrews. The confirmed cases of this new virus occurred between April 2018 through August 2022, where 35 patients became in contact with infected shrews and their feces. The majority if the infected are farmers. Some of the symptoms include:
- fever
- fatigue
- cough
- anorexia
- myalgia
- nausea
- headache, and
- vomiting
There have been no reports of deaths which may indicate a low severity for morbidity. However, we cannot rule out its transmission rate and its ability to mutate, which can affect how severe or lethal the future strands of this virus. The ECDC is closely monitoring this situation. For the full story, click here.
To read our blog articles regarding the Covid-19 pandemic, click on A Different Strategy for A Different Pandemic or Covid-19 Part Deux: The Delta Variant. For our blog concerning Monkeypox, click on Monkeypox Outbreak: A New Pandemic.
