7 Things to Know About Nipah Virus
You must have been reading or hearing Nipah Virus all around right now. Due to the recent news from Kerela, where this rare virus has taken lives of six people, it has become breaking news. But what is Nipah Virus? Let us break it down for you!
1. Nipah virus has emerged as a dangerous and infective virus with 70 percent mortality rate and the first case in India was witnessed in Kerala recently.
2. Although the virus was identified in Malaysia in 1998, there wasn’t any epidemic spread of this virus and no case was reported in India either, until now. Also called NiV, recently caused the death of six patients in Kerala and all these patients were related somehow.
3. According to some studies, the natural hosts of this particular virus are fruit bats of the Pteropodidae Family belonging to Pteropus These animals are as vulnerable as humans.
4. The symptoms of this infection include breathing trouble, inflammation of the brain, fever, headache, drowsiness and a little disorientation may take place.
5. The transmission of this virus may occur through direct contact with infected person or with pigs or bat.
6. Eight people apart from the ones who died have been suspected to contract the infection and hence have been placed under observation in Kozhikode Medical College. The blood samples from the patients have been collected and placed under observation.
7. According to WHO( World Health Organisation), there is no vaccine available to treat the disease at the moment, the patients are placed under intensive support care if suspected of the infection.
We promise to keep you updated with more information as it becomes available. Stay tuned!
References:
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/nipah/en/
https://www.livescience.com/62627-nipah-virus-outbreak-india.html
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