In recent days, the authorities in countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam have been on high alert after an outbreak of the deadly Nipah virus in the Indian state of West Bengal.
So far, no cases have been reported outside India, but health authorities across Asia are stepping up precautions.
What is the Nipah virus?
Nipah is a zoonotic virus, which means it can spread from animals to humans. It can also spread directly between humans or through contaminated food.
Symptoms of the virus range from mild to asymptomatic infections, to acute respiratory illness and fatal brain inflammation.
Fruit bats are natural hosts of the virus. There have also been reports of the virus infecting other animals, such as pigs, cats, goats, horses and sheep.
Singapore infectious diseases expert Leong Hoe Nam said the disease can spread from animals to humans through direct contact with an infected host animal and its fluids. It can also be transmitted through close contact with an infected person or the person’s body fluids, he said.
Nipah was first identified between 1998 and 1999 during an outbreak among pig farmers in Malaysia and Singapore, which resulted in nearly 300 cases and more than 100 deaths.
How contagious is the virus?
The Nipah virus is not very contagious, said Professor Paul Tambyah, former president of the Asia-Pacific Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infection in Singapore.
He added that direct human transmission is rare and no instances of the virus spreading through casual contact have been documented.
How to prevent the spread?
“The key is good surveillance,” Prof Tambyah said.
This means making sure that every case of severe encephalitis – or inflammation of the brain tissue – is thoroughly checked and that there is a diagnosis for each patient, he added. — The Straits Times/ANN
