NIPAH
VIRUS - SCI & TECH
News: Nipah breaks out again in Kerala,
claims two lives
What's
in the news?
●
Nipah scare returned to Kerala, with two
deaths reported from Kozhikode district.
●
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya
confirmed that the deaths were due to Nipah virus.
Nipah
Virus:
●
It is a zoonotic virus (it is transmitted from animals to humans).
●
The organism which causes Nipah Virus
encephalitis is an RNA or
Ribonucleic acid virus of the family Paramyxoviridae, genus Henipavirus, and is
closely related to Hendra virus.
●
The virus can also cause severe disease in
animals such as pigs, resulting in significant economic losses for
farmers.
Fatality
rate:
●
Highly
lethal.
●
Estimated at 40% to 75%.
Transmission:
●
The disease spreads through fruit bats or ‘flying foxes’ of the
genus Pteropus, who are natural reservoir hosts of the Nipah and Hendra
viruses.
●
The virus is present in bat urine and
potentially, bat faeces, saliva, and birthing fluids.
●
It can also spread from person to person through close contact.
Symptoms:
●
Includes fever, headache, cough, sore
throat, difficulty in breathing, and vomiting, with severe cases potentially
leading to encephalitis, coma, and death.
Treatment:
●
There are currently no drugs or vaccines specific for Nipah virus infection
although WHO has identified Nipah as a priority disease for the WHO Research
and Development Blueprint.
●
Intensive supportive care is recommended
to treat severe respiratory and neurologic complications.
Preventive
Measures:
●
Efforts to prevent transmission should
first focus on decreasing bat access to date palm sap and other fresh food products.
●
Raising awareness of the risk factors and
educating people.
●
Gloves and other protective clothing
should be worn while handling sick animals or their tissues, and during
slaughtering and culling procedures.