Nipah Virus

Question 1

NEWS

Answer 1

The Nipah Virus has made a resurgence in Kerala, India, with two fatalities.

This marks the first Nipah Virus outbreak in India since 2021 when a case was reported in Kozhikode during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Question 2

What is Nipah Virus?

Answer 2

It is a zoonotic virus (it is transmitted from animals to humans).
The organism that causes Nipah Virus encephalitis is an RNA or Ribonucleic acid virus of the family Paramyxoviridae, genus Henipavirus, and is closely related to Hendra virus.
Hendra virus (HeV) infection is a rare emerging zoonosis that causes severe and often fatal diseases in both infected horses and humans.
It first broke out in Malaysia and Singapore in 1998 and 1999.
The disease is named after a village in Malaysia, Sungai Nipah, where it was first detected.
It first appeared in domestic pigs and has been found among several species of domestic animals including dogs, cats, goats, horses and sheep.
Transmission:
The disease spreads through fruit bats or ‘flying foxes,’ of the genus Pteropus, who are natural reservoir hosts of the Nipah and Hendra viruses.
The virus is present in bat urine and potentially, bat faeces, saliva, and birthing fluids.
Symptoms:
The human infection presents as an encephalitic syndrome marked by fever, headache, drowsiness, disorientation, mental confusion, coma, and potentially death.
Prevention:
Currently, there are no vaccines for both humans and animals. Intensive supportive care is given to humans infected by the Nipah virus.