Rapid Fire
Nipah Virus
- 19 May 2025
- 2 min read
Health experts and physicians have raised concerns about the deadly Nipah virus’ transmission from animals to humans in Kerala.
- About Nipah Virus: The Nipah virus (NiV) is a zoonotic virus that can spread from animals to humans, as well as through contaminated food or direct human-to-human transmission.
- Causative Agent: Nipah virus encephalitis is caused by an RNA (ribonucleic acid) virus belonging to the family Paramyxoviridae, genus Henipavirus, and is closely related to the Hendra virus.
- Host: NiV was first identified in domestic animals such as pigs, dogs, cats, goats, horses, and sheep.
- The virus is transmitted by fruit bats of the genus Pteropus and is present in their urine, feces, saliva, and birthing fluids.
- Symptoms: NiV causes encephalitic syndrome in humans, with symptoms like fever, headache, drowsiness, confusion, and coma, often leading to death. The fatality rate is 40% to 75%.
- Diagnosis: Diagnosis is done via real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from body fluids. No vaccines exist for humans or animals.
- WHO Stand: The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated Nipah as a priority disease.
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