What Is NIPAH Virus & About Transmission, Symptoms And Treatment

[Mr. Babatunde]

The virus that has surfaced in Kerala with three people of a family losing their lives to the deadly disease, is a newly emerging zoonosis that is caused in both animals and humans. The Union Health Minister has sent a team from National Centre for Disease Control or NCDC to investigate and offer assistance to the local administration.

NIPAH Virus Transmission

Transmission of Nipah virus to humans may occur after direct contact with infected bats, infected pigs, or from other NiV infected people.

In Malaysia and Singapore, humans were apparently infected with Nipah virus only through close contact with infected pigs. The NiV strain identified in this outbreak appeared to have been transmitted initially from bats to pigs, with subsequent spread within pig populations. Incidental human infections resulted after exposure to infected pigs. No occurrence of person-to-person transmission was reported in this outbreak.

Conversely, person-to-person transmission of Nipah virus in Bangladesh and India is regularly reported. This is most commonly seen in the family and caregivers of Nipah virus-infected patients.

 Transmission also occurs from direct exposure to infected bats. A common example is consumption of raw date palm sap contaminated with infectious bat excretions.

Symptoms Of Nipah Virus infection:

The deadly virus is associated with encephalitis i.e. inflammation of the brain. After being exposed to the virus for 5-14 days, one suffers from severe fever and headaches for at least 3 to 14 days.

Other symptoms include drowsiness, disorientation, and mental confusion. Respiratory illness is also common during the infection.

On extreme cases, the virus can even lead to coma in 24-48 hours and severe exposure to the virus eventually causes death. The death rate among infected people is 74.5 percent.

Treatment of Nipah Virus infection:

Mostly in such patients, treatment is largely managing fever and neurological symptoms. There is no vaccination for its treatment, NiV can be cured only through intensive supportive care.