What is Nipah virus? Signs to watch out for as India races to contain deadly outbreak

India’s eastern state of West Bengal is moving rapidly to contain an outbreak of the Nipah virus, which has confirmed five cases of infection, including infected doctors and nurses.

About 100 people have been asked to quarantine at home, and hospitals in and around the capital Kolkata are treating infected patients, with one patient in critical condition, according to local media reports.

Nipah is a deadly virus with no vaccine or cure and is considered a high-risk pathogen by the World Health Organization. Experts say human infection is rare and usually occurs when the virus is spread by bats, often through contaminated fruit.

Here’s everything you need to know about this virus:

Nipah Virus (NiV) Infection: What are the Symptoms?

Nipah virus (NiV) infection often begins with non-specific symptoms, making early detection difficult.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the incubation period is generally believed to be between four and 21 days, although a longer delay between exposure and illness has been reported in rare cases during previous outbreaks.

Patients typically develop a flu-like illness marked by fever, headache, muscle aches, and fatigue. In some cases, respiratory symptoms such as coughing, wheezing or pneumonia also occur, although the timing and severity of these symptoms can vary widely.

The most serious and defining complication of Nipah infection is inflammation of the brain, known as encephalitis. Neurological symptoms, including confusion, altered consciousness, seizures or coma, usually appear several days to weeks after the initial onset of illness.

Some patients may also develop meningitis.

How deadly Nipah virus?

Nipah virus is associated with a high mortality rate, with mortality rates reported between 40 and 75 percent depending on the outbreak and viral strain.

According to an update from the UK Health Security Agency, survivors may experience long-term neurological effects, such as frequent seizures or changes in personality.

In rare cases, encephalitis has been reported to recur months or years after the initial infection, either due to reactivation of the virus.

How does the Nipah virus spread?

According to the World Health Organization, Nipah virus is a zoonotic pathogen transmitted from animals to humans and from person to person.

The primary natural vectors are fruit bats (Pteropus species); Humans can become infected by direct contact with infected bats or other animals, or by eating food contaminated with bat saliva, urine, or feces.

Human-to-human transmission has also been reported, particularly through close contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals.

Where was Nipah virus found for the first time?

Nipah virus (NiV) was first identified in Malaysia and Singapore in 1999 following outbreaks of encephalitis and respiratory disease in pig farmers and other people who had close contact with infected pigs. This episode recognized NiV as a serious zoonotic pathogen that can be transmitted from animals to humans.

Since then there have been frequent outbreaks in South Asia. Cases have been reported in parts of northeastern India and several districts of Bangladesh, with Bangladesh experiencing outbreaks almost every year since 2001.

In southern India, the state of Kerala reported its first Nipah outbreak in 2018, after sporadic cases in subsequent years.

Outside of South Asia, infections have also been reported in the Philippines, with investigations suggesting they were caused by the Nipah virus or a closely related Nipah-like strain.

Scientific studies have identified fruit bats as natural reservoirs of the virus. Nipah virus has been isolated from bat urine in Malaysia, and antibodies have been detected in at least 23 bat species across Asia as well as in parts of Africa, Ghana and Madagascar.

Despite this wide animal reservoir, confirmed human outbreaks have so far been limited to South and Southeast Asia, usually occurring in rural or semi-rural settings where contact between humans, bats and domestic animals is high, the WHO says.

“Human-to-human transmission of Nipah virus among family members and caregivers of infected patients has also been reported,” according to the WHO.

Is there any treatment?

There is currently no proven, targeted treatment for Nipah virus (NiV) infection and no approved vaccine to prevent it.

Care for patients remains largely supportive, focusing on managing symptoms and complications as they occur.

The virus is listed by the WHO as a priority pathogen under its research and development blueprint, which identifies pandemic threats that require urgent investigation.

Reducing the risk of Nipah infection:

With no vaccine available, prevention of Nipah virus infection relies on awareness and simple protective measures, global health agencies recommend. Public health advice focuses on minimizing exposure to the virus, whether from bats, animals or infected people.

Prevention of bat-to-human transmission: Bats are the main carriers of Nipah. People should avoid consuming raw date juice or fruit that may be contaminated by bats, WHO guidelines advise.

Boiling the juice of fresh dates and washing them thoroughly or peeling the fruit can reduce the risk. Any fruit showing signs of a bat bite should be discarded, the health agency advises.

Prevention of animal-to-human transmission: Gloves and protective clothing should be worn by people handling sick animals, their tissues, or during slaughter. Contact with infected pigs should be minimized, and pig farms in areas with fruit bats should take steps to protect feed and enclosures from bats.

Prevention of human-to-human transmission: Avoid close, unprotected contact with people infected with Nipah. Regular hand washing after caring for or visiting a sick person is essential to prevent the spread of the virus.

Nipah virus in popular culture:

2011 film Infectionwhich depicts a rapidly spreading global virus, was partly inspired by real-life pathogens such as Nipah virus, a bat-born virus first identified in Malaysia in 1999, according to the website of the global health nonprofit Path.

Nipah causes severe respiratory disease and inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) and can be spread from animals to humans, contaminated food or infected people.

Its high death rate, potential for outbreaks, and lack of a vaccine made it a model of how a zoonotic virus could trigger a pandemic, which filmmakers used to shape a realistic global crisis. infection, The path is mentioned.