Nipah virus
Nipah virus (NIV) is a zoonotic virus that is transmitted from animals to humans and can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly between people. It is known to cause illness in pigs and people. Fruit bats, also called flying foxes are animal reservoirs for NIV in nature.
Infection with NIV is linked to encephalitis (swelling of the brain). It can cause mild to severe illness and even death. Outbreaks occur almost annually in parts of Asia, primarily Bangladesh and India. It was first discovered in 1999 following an outbreak of disease in pigs and people in Malaysia and Singapore. The outbreak resulted in nearly 300 cases and more than 100 deaths. Over 1 million pigs were killed to help control the outbreak.
How the disease spreads: People can become infected if they have close contact with an infected animal or its body fluids such as saliva or urine.
Once it spreads to people, person-to-person transmission can also occur. Symptoms typically appear in 4 to 14 days following exposure to the virus.
Symptoms: Fever, headache, cough, sore throat, difficulty in breathing, vomiting, disorientation, drowsiness or confusion, seizures, coma, brain swelling (encephalitis), long-term side effects, including persistent convulsions and personality changes in survivors.
Prevention:
* Wash hands regularly with soap and water.
* Avoid contact with sick bats or pigs.
* Avoid areas where bats are known to roost.
* Avoid eating or drinking products that could be contaminated by bats, such as raw date palm sap, raw fruit or fruit that is found on the ground.
* Avoid contact with the blood or body fluids of any person known to be infected with NIV.
How cases are detected: Real time polymerase chain reaction or RT-PCR from throat and nasal swabs, cerebrospinal fluid, urine and blood samples can confirm.
Later in the course of illness and after recovery, testing for antibodies is conducted using an Enzyme-Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ELISA).
No treatment or vaccine is available for either people or animals, primary treatment for humans is supportive care as per WHO.
According to Centres For Disease Control And Prevention, death may occur in 40%-75% of cases.
