American health experts have started raising alarm bells after discovering a potentially lethal virus in Alabama shrews. The newly ID’d “Camp Hill virus” has drawn concerns about water safety as well as disease transmission. Camp Hill belongs to the henipavirus family, a dangerous pathogen group sporting mortality upwards of 70 percent. While there are no documented human infections at this point, the virus’s presence in North America has prompted discussion of contamination safety via the water supply.
Deadly Family Ties Raise Concerns
Researchers from the University of Queensland were able to identify the virus, marking the first henipavirus ever found in North America. Camp Hill has dangerous relatives like the notorious Nipah and Hendra viruses, which are known to cause severe brain inflammation, respiratory failure, and deadly organ damage – fatality rates range between 40 and 75 percent.
“What concerns us in public health is we have this virus with a very high mortality rate, and if it were to mutate and transmit to a human, and attack the kidneys, as we’ve seen in some animals, that could be particularly threatening to all of mankind,” explained Dr. David Dyjack from the National Environmental Health Association. Researchers worry that, like other henipaviruses, Camp Hill might spread through bodily fluid contact – including contaminated tap water or close exposure to infected individuals.
Dr. Rhys Parry from the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences noted that the closest thing to a henipavirus infecting humans is the Langya virus which also started in shrews. “Shrew-to-human transmission can occur,” Parry warned, so the need for water treatment system monitoring cannot be overstated. Health officials have asked for enhanced tap water testing supplies in areas with shrew populations, just to be safe. However, there are some who believe these measures may be premature due to a lack of waterborne transmission evidence. These shrews span both the United States and Canada, making a potentially enormous area for the pathogen to thrive in. If the virus does indeed prove water-transmissible, it could spell major trouble for North America.
Read More: Shi Zhengli and the Search for the Next Pandemic
Transmission Risk Debate
Scientists are divided about how immediate of a threat the Camp Hill virus poses, with some advising caution while others point to significant knowledge gaps. Since the virus is so new, researchers have more questions than answers when it comes to transmission pathways. The logic is that similar viruses can spread through multiple routes, so why can’t this one? “For something like this, if it’s airborne, that causes me great distress as a public health professional,” Dr. Dyjack noted, while also acknowledging the potential for contamination of water sources creating community-level outbreaks. Many households use untreated well water or municipal systems that aren’t exactly bleeding edge technology when it comes to filtering out viral pathogens. The CDC is yet to issue any guidelines for tap water safety, but standard water treatment protocols would include steps for disinfection to hopefully neutralize any viral pathogens.
Dr. Donald Burke, an epidemiologist who predicted a pandemic decades before COVID-19, suggested that Camp Hill “isn’t likely to cause an epidemic”, but some experts aren’t convinced. Ruling out airborne transmission is still a priority for respiratory viruses, and Camp Hill’s affect on kidneys has raised concerns on if contaminated urine in water would also be a means to spread the virus. Other henipaviruses are known to survive for limited periods in water, but their usual transmission is through direct contact or consumption of contaminated food, rather through water exposure.
Prevention and Future Research
As scientists continue to learn and prepare, public health officials are emphasizing basic preventive measures for water safety. Researchers from the University of Queensland working on a vaccine for the whole family of henipaviruses, not just Camp Hill. For now, experts are recommend keeping good hygiene practices up, hand-washing with water and soap, and avoiding contact with wild animals – particularly shrews, bats and pigs that may be carrying pathogens. Any travellers should do their best to only drink treated or bottled water and avoid fruits that could have been contaminated by animal saliva.
The CDC advises that travellers are actually the highest risk group, followed by healthcare workers treating infected patients. “There’s more that we don’t know than we know as it relates to public health and human health. On the face of it, that is alarming, particularly since it has been identified within the homeland,” Dr. Dyjack emphasized. While there is no specific antiviral treatments for henipavirus yet, researchers are working on finding other solutions. For now, stay vigilant, stay clean, and make sure your water is being filtered.
Read More: 28 Ancient Viruses Found in a Tibetan Glacier Could Unlock Secrets of the Past