Why is it in the news?
→ Nipah virus outbreak in West Bengal raised regional alarm due to high fatality rates.
→ Neighboring countries enhanced border screening and testing.
Category
S&T
Important Points
- Nipah virus fatality rate ranges from 40% to 75%.
- Countries enhancing screening include Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, and Nepal.
- Nipah virus is zoonotic and transmits from animals to humans.
- It can spread through contaminated food or person-to-person contact.
- Symptoms include fever, headache, myalgia, vomiting, and sore throat.
- Severe cases show encephalitis, seizures, coma, and respiratory distress.
- Incubation period ranges from 4 to 14 days.
- Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are natural hosts.
- The first outbreak occurred in 1998–1999 among pig farmers in Malaysia.
- Outbreaks reported in Bangladesh, India, Philippines, and Singapore.
- No approved vaccines or specific treatments exist; only supportive care is recommended.
- Nipah is listed in WHO R&D Blueprint priority diseases.