NIPAH Virus

 What is NIPAH Virus? 

NIPAH Virus is a deadly virus that can be spread between animal and people. This type of virus are called zoonotic virus. It can attack and spread through animals and humans alike which make it more difficult to handle. NIPAH virus can spread through contaminated food, mix of fluids, and presence of virus in meals. Close contact with the person can also spread this virus and can result to fatal complications. This virus shows a variety of symptoms which causes different illness before the person is found to be infected with NIPAH Virus.

Notable features of  NIPAH Virus:- 

• Zoonotic disease from animals to humans 
• Natural host- fruit bat (Pteropodidae Family, Pteropus genus)
• Intermediate host- pigs 
• incubation period- 5 to 14 days 
• cardinal/prescription symptoms - headache, fever, pneumonia, and other symptoms.
• illness duration- 3 to 14 days 
• diagnosis - ELISA and PCR
• samples: Serum, CSF, Throat Swab 
• mode of exposure - eating the fruits bitten by the infected animals

NIPAH outbreak in Singapore/ Malaysia :- One of the events that brought the Nipah virus under detailed medical research was the 1998-1999 outbreak in Malaysia in which 265 people were infected and about 40 percent of patients hospitalized with severe neurological disease. It has been found that people who were infected with the virus initially came in contact with pigs.

NIPAH outbreak in Bangladesh - The second outbreak was a series of four outbreaks in Bangladesh between 2001 and 2004 . The infection was transmitted through Fruit Bats.

NIPAH Virus outbreak in Kerala- In a recent outbreak of a NIPAH Virus in Kerala resulted into death of 13 individuals (and still counting). 

Symptoms of NIPAH Virus:- 

• fever
• headache
• sore throat
• difficulty in breathing
• vomiting
• muscle pain

Severe Symptoms

• dizziness
• altered consciousness
• drowsiness
• neurological signs that indicate acute encephalitis.
• seizures
• coma

How to prevent NIPAH Virus ?

Since there are no vaccines and medications known that can cure this condition, It is best to take certain precaution which can minimize the risk of falling for this disease. Hence, the following things can be done to avoid it -

1. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water.
2. Avoid touching surfaces that are in reach of animals.
3. Do not come close to people or animals in the infected region.
4. Sterilize objects that are used once.
5. Use contact tracing and isolation method to prevent it from spreading to other people.
6. Take prescribed medicines for increasing immunity in the body.
7. Consult your doctor in case of symptoms for NIPAH Virus.

Diagnosis

The main tests are:-

• RT-PCR(real time polymerase chain reaction)
• ELISA(enzyme linked immunosorbent assay)  

Treatment

• No drugs or vaccines. 
• intensive supportive care