occurrence of nipah virus In India’s West Bengal state, some airports are conducting preventive health screenings amid growing concerns in parts of Asia.
According to various health facilities in Kolkata, five people, including doctors and nurses, have so far been confirmed infected, 100 people have been quarantined and others have been hospitalized. indian era.
Three airports in Thailand that accept flights from West Bengal have started screening passengers on arrival. Nepal has also started screening travelers at Kathmandu airport and at land border crossings with India. BBC reported.
According to the newspaper, India’s Ministry of Health announced that 196 people known to have come into contact with the infected person have tested negative.
What is Nipah virus?
The potentially deadly Nipah virus is transmitted in several ways, including through contaminated food, from animals to humans, primarily through fruit bats, and directly between humans, and can cause everything from asymptomatic infection to acute respiratory illness to fatal encephalitis. The World Health Organization (WHO) says:.
Person-to-person transmission occurs through close contact with the body fluids of an infected person.
Although Nipah virus has caused only a few known outbreaks in Asia, it is a public health concern because it infects a wide range of animals and causes severe illness and death in people, the report said. world health organization.
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Infected people usually develop flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, vomiting, and sore throat.
For some people, it can cause respiratory problems such as shortness of breath and coughing, and in severe cases, pneumonia. This may be accompanied by dizziness, drowsiness, and altered consciousness and may indicate a more complicated neurological infection.
of most severe symptoms Effects on the central nervous system include seizures, coma, and inability to breathe.
The incubation period is thought to be between 4 and 14 days, but the WHO reports an incubation period of up to 45 days.
How deadly is the virus?
Nipah virus has a fatality rate of 45-75%, and there are no vaccines or treatments available for animals or humans.
Most people who survive acute encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain tissue, make a full recovery, but the WHO reports long-term neurological symptoms in survivors.
Some people develop meningitis.
Approximately 20% of patients who recover from Nipah virus remain with neurological symptoms, including seizure disorders, and may experience personality changes. A small number of people who recover later have a recurrence or develop late-onset encephalitis.
The main treatment for humans is supportive care. The WHO has designated the virus as a “priority disease” with “urgent need for accelerated research and development”.
In 2018, at least three people died after being infected in southern India. infected with a virus. They were all from the same family.
Where does it occur?
Nipah was first identified during an outbreak in Malaysia in 1999. Since then, outbreaks have been reported in parts of South Asia, including Singapore, as well as northeastern India and Bangladesh. Nipah virus is Not reported or discovered In Canada.
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