India attempts to contain Nipah virus outbreak after five cases confirmed
The Indian authorities have stepped up anti-epidemic measures in the eastern state of West Bengal after five cases of Nipah virus infection were confirmed. These include two medical workers at a private hospital in Barasat, near Kolkata, and three other infected individuals, including a doctor, a nurse and a medical staff member. This was reported by The Public, citing The Independent.
The first case was detected at the beginning of the week, after which nearly 100 contacts were instructed to remain in home isolation. The new patients were hospitalised at an infectious diseases hospital in the Beleghat area of eastern Kolkata, while the first two patients remain in the intensive care unit of a private clinic.
According to a representative of the West Bengal Health Department, the condition of the male nurse is gradually improving, while the woman remains in extremely serious condition. Both patients are being treated in the intensive coronary care unit.
The Nipah virus is a zoonotic infection that is transmitted from animals to humans and can also spread between humans through contact with biological fluids, including saliva, blood and urine. The World Health Organisation classifies it as a priority pathogen due to its high epidemic potential. There is currently no vaccine or specific treatment for Nipah.
The incubation period usually lasts from 4 to 21 days. The disease often begins with non-specific symptoms, including fever, headache, muscle pain and severe fatigue. In severe cases, encephalitis develops, which can lead to seizures, impaired consciousness or coma. The mortality rate varies between 40 and 75 per cent, depending on the outbreak.
Experts emphasise that human infection is rare and usually associated with accidental contact with fruit bats, which are the natural reservoir of the virus. This most often occurs through the consumption of fruit or beverages contaminated with animal saliva or urine, especially in rural and forested areas.
In India, the Nipah virus is detected almost every year, particularly in the state of Kerala, where dozens of people have died from it since 2018. The first outbreak worldwide was recorded in 1999 among farmers in Malaysia and Singapore. Scientists believe that the virus has been circulating among bats for millennia and fear the emergence of a more contagious strain.
Source and photo: Independent.
India, Malaysia, Singapore, virus, Nipah
