Facts about Nipah Virus that Need to be Known Including Prevention

Nipah virus facts. (Freepik)

YOGYAKARTA - Five people are reported to have been infected with the Nipah virus in West Bengal, India recently. Doctors and nurses are also listed on the list of those infected. Furthermore, there are about 100 more people who are asked to apply quarantine at home because they have had close contact with patients exposed to the Nipah virus. Quoted from The Independent website, at this time, there is still one patient in critical condition who is receiving treatment at the hospital. Watch the review of the facts about the Nipah virus below.

Nipah Virus Facts

Some facts about the Nipah virus that need to be aware of include:

RNA viruses of the genus Henipavirus.

Emerging zoonotic diseases caused by Nipah virus include the genus Henipavirus and the family Paramyxoviridae. The animal that carries it is a fruit bat or fruit bat.

The Nipah virus disease was first identified based on reports of outbreaks that occurred in pig farmers in a village on the Nipah River, Malaysia in 1998-1999 which had an impact on Singapore. Quoted from the Ministry of Health's website, from this outbreak, 276 confirmed cases were reported with 106 deaths.

Nipah Virus Transmission

Transmission of the Nipah virus from animals to humans occurs by direct contact. In addition, it can also be transmitted from feces such as bat urine and also bat saliva.

Nipah Virus Symptoms Start with Fever and Headache

Clinical symptoms of Nipah virus can vary. In the early phase, the symptoms that appear are fever and headache or similar to flu symptoms (flu like syndrome).

In the later stages, patients may have difficulty breathing, pneumonia, pneumonia, to neurological disorders. In fact, some patients can experience brain inflammation or encephalitis which can cause people to be confused, seizures to coma.

Nipah Virus Death Rate High

Epidemiologist Dicky Budiman said that in severe cases, the death rate of people infected with the nipah virus is quite high, it can reach 75 percent.

"Death often occurs within a few days after onset in severe cases. The lowest case fatality rate is 40 percent and the highest is 75 percent. This means 4 out of 10 die," he explained.

There is no specific therapy yet.

Until now, there is no specific drug therapy if people are infected with the Nipah virus. "So the treatment regimen is supportive to control symptoms and in some cases it needs to be admitted to the ICU," said Dicky.

Low Potential to Become a Pandemic

Dicky, who is listed as a global health security researcher, revealed the potential of the nipah virus to become a low pandemic. Because human-to-human transmission must have close contact and does not spread through the air. As for the outbreak cases tend to be local clusters so far.

"The global scale of the potential for nipah virus to become a pandemic remains low compared to respiratory diseases such as SARS-CoV-2," said Dicky.

"So I see that the potential for the pandemic is very low," he said.

Prevention

Efforts to prevent Nipah virus infection are by controlling animal and human contact. One of them is to avoid eating fruit that may have been contaminated by bats. So, if you go to the forest to pick fruit, make sure that the fruit is washed clean, and the hands are clean.

Then, keep pets away from areas where bats gather. If there is a suspicious case, immediately isolate the suspect. Including health workers who check must wear complete personal protective equipment.

That's the review of the facts about the nipah virus. Hopefully useful. Visit VOI.id for other interesting information.