11 Dec

A Short Discussion about Nipah Virus Infection

Nipah virus belongs to a member of the family Paramyxoviridae genus Henipavirus. In 1999 Nipah virus was detected when an outbreak of respiratory issues and encephalitis took place. Individuals and pig farmers who were with close contact with pigs in Singapore and Malaysia suffered from this. Nipah virus infection has a collection of clinical presentations. They involve acute respiratory issues, asymptomatic infection and encephalitis. Nipah virus can also cause diseases in domestic animals. No vaccine is there to protect animals or human being from this virus. Intensive supportive care is the primary treatment for human being.

The fatality rate is calculated at 40% to 75%. This can vary in some localities depending on clinical management and epidemiological observation.

Main Information

Nipah virus can be transmitted from animals like bats or pigs to humans. This virus can be transmitted from contaminated foods and can be transmitted human to human.

Fruit bats belong to Pteropodidae family are the host of this virus.

The 2018 annual review of World Health Organization includes the list of diseases. It shows an instant requirement for enhanced research and development for Nipah virus.

Nipah virus can cause harmful disorders in animals like pigs. It leads to a considerable loss of the farmers.

Although Nipah virus caused some outbreaks in Asia yet, it can infect a vast range of animals. This is responsible for serious illnesses and death of people that makes it major concern for public health.

Symptoms

Infected people encounter headache, fever, vomiting, muscle pain and sore throat. This can be included to drowsiness, dizziness, neurological symptoms and reduced consciousness. These symptoms indicate acute encephalitis. Some individuals also encounter serious respiratory issues a typical pneumonia. Seizures and encephalitis happen in serious cases. It advances to coma within 1 to 2 days. Incubation time that refers to the interval from the time of infection to the time of symptoms is generally 4 to 14 days. However incubation period can be as long as 45 days.

A lot of research is going on to discover the antidote or vaccine or medicine to combat with Nipah virus. It is recommended to take as much as information from the healthcare employees and the Internet. It helps you staying updated, follow the hygienic rules properly and reduce the panic.