2023-09-18 17:52:42
Its symptoms include fever, vomiting and respiratory infections, but severe cases can be characterized by seizures and brain inflammation.
Courtesy | The WHO has classified Nipah as a disease that requires priority research
India has been hit by the deadly Nipah virus, which has already claimed the lives of two people in the southern state of Kerala. In their attempt to stop the spread of the disease, the country’s authorities have ordered mass testing among the population, imposed restrictions on public gatherings and even closed some educational centers.
This is the fourth outbreak in India since 2018 caused by the Nipah virus, which is transmitted to humans through animals and has a mortality rate of between 40% and 75%, according to the World Health Organization. Health (WHO).
Symptoms and spread
Its symptoms include fever, vomiting and respiratory infections, but severe cases can be characterized by seizures and brain inflammation that leads to coma. Currently, there is no preventive vaccine or cure for the disease, while the usual treatment consists of supportive care.
“Once it contracts, [los únicos tratamientos son] rest, hydration and treatment of symptoms,” explained Joanne Macdonald, associate professor of molecular engineering at the University of the Sunshine Coast, quoted this Monday by The Guardian.
Humans can become infected with the virus through contact with body fluids from infected bats and pigs, such as through food. Flying foxes are animals considered natural carriers. However, some cases of human-to-human transmission have also been documented.
“It is carried by fruit bats that roost in the treetops,” Macdonald said. “They can urinate and contaminate the fruit, and when people eat that, they get the virus and then get sick,” he added.
Could a new pandemic emerge?
The WHO has classified Nipah as a disease that needs priority research due to its capacity to cause a new global epidemic. In turn, scientists fear that bats could cause a mutated and highly transmissible strain.
Nipah is a type of Henipavirus and is related to the Hendra virus, which was first discovered in Australia and has caused deaths in humans and horses. Its first outbreak emerged in 1998 in Malaysia and infected almost 300 people, killed more than 100 and led to the slaughter of a million pigs.
Subsequently, the virus was mainly detected in Bangladesh and India, where the first outbreaks were recorded in 2001. Bangladesh has been the most affected country in recent years: since 2001 more than 100 people have died from the disease.
Between 1998 and 2015, WHO has reported more than 600 cases of human infections with Nipah virus. At the same time, diseases transmitted from animals to people have multiplied over the last 20 and 30 years.
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