Hennepavirus is an emerging virus in the Asia-Pacific region that can cause rare zoonotic diseases and is a virus that can be transmitted from animals to humans.
Hennepaviruses are RNA viruses belonging to the genus Hennepavirus. Its natural host is the fruit fly of the genus Foxbat, family Foxbatidae. Infection with Hennepavirus can cause severe disease in the brain or respiratory tract. The virus can be transmitted from animal to human and from human to human.
Infection with the virus initially presents with mild flu-like symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, headache, vomiting and sore throat. In severe cases, fatal respiratory and neurological illnesses such as lethal encephalitis can occur.
There are no therapeutic drugs or vaccines for HNV. The only treatment is supportive care and management of complications from the disease. There is no vaccine against HNV, and the World Health Organization states that suspected cases should be isolated as soon as possible, public health authorities should be notified immediately, and infection control measures should be taken immediately.