He Nipahan emerging virus that is transmitted from animals to humans, causes everything from asymptomatic symptoms to acute respiratory diseases and lethal encephalitis, but there are still no specific treatments against this pathogen that keeps India on alert. This country has issued an epidemiological alert with at least two confirmed cases in the state of West Bengal and with 190 people under surveillance for having had contact with those infected.
According to the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC), The fatality rate of this virus is estimated between 40% and 75%depending on the strain, access to quality of healthcare or the severity of the disease. The Nipah belongs to BSL pathogen risk group 4the highest that exists and in which Ebola is included, for example, since it is considered a very dangerous emerging virus, due to the high mortality it presents and because it does not have an authorized treatment or vaccine.
In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) has included the Nipah virus on the list of priority diseases to investigate for your epidemic potentialalong with Ebola or Zika.
It is transmitted through the contamination of fruit or water by bat that has left its fluids, such as saliva, feces or urine, and that is consumed by people, especially in street stalls, or by pigs when fed to them, according to the WHO. He incubation period (interval between infection and onset of symptoms) ranges between 4 and 14 days. However, incubation periods of up to 45 days have been recorded. Nipah virus infection in pigs and other domestic animals (horses, goats, sheep, cats and dogs) is the main route of infection for humans.
Infected people initially present flu symptoms (fever, headaches, myalgias, vomiting and sore throat). They may also suffer dizziness, drowsiness, altered consciousness and neurological signs indicating acute encephalitis. Some people may also suffer atypical pneumonia and serious breathing problems, such as acute dyspnea. In severe cases, encephalitis and seizures appear, which progress over time. eat within 24 to 48 hoursreports the WHO.
Los initial symptoms of Nipah virus infection They are nonspecific and this can make diagnosis difficult and create problems in detecting outbreaks, implementing effective and timely infection control measures and undertaking outbreak response activities. Additionally, the accuracy of laboratory results may be affected by the quality, quantity, type, and timing of clinical specimen collection, as well as the time required to ship patient specimens to the laboratory.
According to the WHO, there are no specific medications or vaccines for Nipah virus infection, although it is a priority in the research and development plan of this organization, therefore intensive supportive treatment is recommended for severe respiratory and neurological complications.
In the absence of a vaccine, the only way to reduce or prevent infection in people is to raise awareness about the risk factors and educating about the measures they can take to reduce exposure and cases of infection by the Nipah virus. Therefore, it is necessary reduce bats’ access to date palm sap and other fresh food products and wash and peel fruits before consuming.
They must wear gloves and other protective clothing when handling sick animals or their tissues, and during slaughter. To the extent possible, people should avoid contact with infected animals. And contact with infected people should be avoided or use protective equipment and hand hygiene. Despite these recommendations, the WHO considers the risk of expansion of the Nipah virus in India to be “low.”
