Producer:  Priyanka Das Editor:  Nisha Dubey

All You Need to Know About Nipah Virus

The Kerala Health Department has sounded a health alert in Kozhikode district following two “unnatural" deaths suspected to be due to the Nipah virus infection.

Nipah virus (NiV) is a zoonotic virus, meaning it can spread between animals and people. Fruit bats, also called flying foxes, are the animal reservoir for NiV in nature.

Nipah virus is also known to cause illness in pigs and people. Infection with NiV is associated with encephalitis and can cause mild to severe illness and even death.

The name ‘Nipah’ is named after a Malaysian village, where the first outbreak was reported in 1998-99. It caused nearly 300 human cases and over 100 deaths.

In India the disease was first reported in 2001 and again six years later, with the two outbreaks claiming 50 lives.

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, the disease can spread from person-to-person.

The Nipah infection can cause problems ranging from respiratory issues to fatal encephalitis, meaning inflammation of the brain.

The incubation period of Nipah infection varies from 4 to 21 days. In the initial stages, there may be symptoms like fever, headache, dizziness and vomiting.

Nipah virus infection can be prevented by avoiding exposure to sick pigs and bats in areas where the virus is present, and not drinking raw date palm sap which can be contaminated by an infected bat.

The treatment of Nipah virus infection is mostly limited to supportive care and management of acute encephalitis syndrome. According to the WHO, there are no drugs or vaccines specific for Nipah available.

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