What Is Nipah Virus? All You Need To Know

Manu has plans to visit Kerala to spend some time with his grandparents in Ernakulam. But, even as he is packing, the Kerala Govt has confirmed one case of the Nipah Virus infection. Last year, the virus had claimed the lives of 17 people in Kerala alone. It created quite a public scare, as deaths, fear and an uneasy calm engulfed the whole of Kerala.

Nipah Virus 2019 updates

In a relief to the Kerala State govt and concerned authorities, there are no fresh report of the virus. The Nipah threat in Kerala has eased.

Also read: Coronavirus FAQs - What Indian Parents Need To Know

It began with a 23-year-old student from Ernakulam, Kerala, testing positive for the deadly Nipah virus. The Kerala Govt health department officials confirmed the news of the Nipah Virus infection after the student's serum samples came back positive from the National Institute of Virology in Pune. Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja, had assured that there was no need to panic as all steps were being taken to prevent the spread of disease.

Reportedly, the young student who was tested positive for the Nipah virus is recovering well. To curb the spread of infection, people who had come in contact with the infected student continue to remain under observation until safe clearance. Probe into the source of the virus is still going on. It is believed to have originated from fruit bats.

As the news about the Nipah virus is hitting the headlines again, many are curious to know about the virus, how it spreads and what to do to prevent it. Our research team, in association with top experts, gives you all the information you need. Read on...

What is Nipah virus?

• The Nipah virus gets its name from a village in Malaysia where the virus was first detected.
  
• The virus caused an outbreak of brain fever among pig farmers in Malaysia in the 1990s.
  
• According to World Health Organization (WHO), Nipah virus (NiV) is an emerging infectious disease.
  
• The disease can transmit to humans from animals.
  
• The fruit bats are the natural carrier of the disease. Pigs too can get infected.
  
• The virus claimed many lives in Malaysia and Bangladesh in the late 90s.
  
• In the past outbreaks, fatality rate of the virus was between 40 to 75 per cent of the infected people.
  
• There is no medicine for the virus, however, symptoms like nausea, vomiting and convulsions can be treated with the antiviral medicine Ribavirin
  

ParentCircle talks to Dr Vikrant Shah, consulting physician, intensivist and infectious diseases specialist, Zen Multi Speciality Hospital, Mumbai to know details about the disease and ways to prevent its spread.

He says, "Isolation is the key to contain the spread of the virus. Once a person shows the symptoms, keep him in isolation and seek immediate medical help. There is no approved therapy for this infection. Prevention is the only cure!"

Symptoms of Nipah virus:

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the main symptoms of the disease are:

• Sudden onset of high fever
  
• Headaches
  
• Muscle pain
  
• Nausea and vomiting
  
• Disorientation and mental confusion
  
• Neck rigidity and extreme sensitivity to light are also seen in some cases
  
• Initial symptoms could be similar to flu and respiratory illness and in the later stage, it leads to encephalitis, brain damage
  
• Once you are infected with the virus, the symptoms of the disease can show after five days to two weeks
• In some acute cases, the infected person falls into a coma within 48 hours of developing symptoms
• The disease progresses rapidly
  

How is it diagnosed?

Dr Shah informs that the diagnosis of the disease is done by a test named ELISA which is currently available at the National Institute of Virology, Pune.

How it spreads?

The Nipah virus can spread from the infected animal to a person. The infected person can spread the disease to other people through contact. For example, if a person eats a fruit which is already bitten by an infected bat, the virus will travel to the person eating that fruit. Other people who come into close contact with the infected person are at higher risk to get the virus.

Who are at high risk?

Dr Shah shares that the following people are at higher risk from the virus:

• People working with pigs and who consumes pig meat
  
• Those who come in direct contact with bats
  
• Those who consume fruits which are already bitten by an infected bat
  
• Those who are in touch with people who already have the Nipah virus
• If you have a strong immune system, the Nipah virus is unlikely to attack you