2023-09-24 12:14:48
With a case fatality rate of 40 to 75% and no vaccine available, the Nipah virus worries scientists. If it is currently raging in India, it could also cause a pandemic according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
This will also interest you
[EN VIDÉO] The significant pandemics of the 20th and 21st centuries In this video, go back in time to discover the pandemics that have marked our…
In India, the authorities are taking measures against the Nipah virus with the death of two people in the south of the country (Kerala state). In this region, hundreds of tests have been carried out, schools are closing and seven villages are declared “ contaminated areas “. American media CNN remember that there is no vaccine yet against this virus and that treatments are limited to relieving symptoms. “ In the infected subject, it causes an illness which can range from asymptomatic infection to acute respiratory infection, or even fatal encephalitis. », explains the World Health Organization (OMS).
Some patients recover completely from the infection, while others have lasting neurological sequelae, including seizure disorders or personality changes. The case fatality rate for Nipah virus varies between 40 and 75%.
One more zoonosis
According to the WHO, “ Nipah is a zoonotic virus (i.e. transmitted from animals to humans). It can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly between people “. Fruit bats of the family Pteropodidae are the natural carriers of the virus, identified as the most likely cause of epidemics.
The first-ever Nipah virus outbreak appeared in Malaysia in 1998 and killed more than 100 people. In recent years, Bangladesh and India have been the two countries most affected by the virus. In the state of Kerala, this is the fourth Nipah wave in five years. Due to its ability to cause a global epidemic, the WHO even classifies this virus as one of the diseases that deserves priority research.
—
Never miss a single Futura magazine by subscribing! Enjoy the comfort of receiving your magazine directly in your mailbox, and at a preferential rate.
I DISCOVER THE LATEST ISSUE: HOW THE COSMOS INFLUENCES US?
By choosing our 1-year subscription offer, you will receive the next 4 issues of Mag’ Futura (148 pages to decipher the major challenges of today and tomorrow) for 1 year at only €4/month.
Futura is an independent and committed scientific media which needs its readers to continue to inform, analyze and decipher. To encourage this approach and discover our next publications, subscription remains the best way to support us.
1695597195
#India #concerned #Nipah #virus #outbreak