Nipah re-escalated in India

The government of India has introduced a mass test in Kerala to stop the spread of the Nipah virus, which has caused the death of five people, including one child. Officials also restricted community gatherings, closed schools and offices, ordered disinfection of streets with antiseptics.

The Virus was detected in Kozhikodi, a city with a population of almost two million people. The authorities call on the population not to panic, to comply with quarantine rules.

What kind of virus is Nipah itself?

Nipah is an animal-borne, rare but serious virus. The disease can cause fever, vomiting, and acute respiratory symptoms. In severe cases, seizures and encephalitis can lead to inflammation of the brain and coma.

According to the World Health Organization (who), the mortality rate from the virus is 40-75%. This high mortality rate is associated with the absence of an infection vaccine, while traditional treatment of the disease provides only supportive care.

The first Nipah outbreak was reported in 1998 after the virus spread among swine farmers in Malaysia and Singapore. The Virus was named in honor of the village where it was detected.

The virus is carried by representatives of the family of fruit bats, flying dogs and flying foxes. The virus can be transmitted directly from these animals or, for example, by eating fruits that they have touched. The infection is also transmitted from a sick person.

Scientists are concerned about the appearance of a mutated strain from flying foxes. Overall, the Nipah outbreak is rare, but who has noted the virus as a disease worthy of first-line testing due to its potential to cause a global outbreak alongside Ebola, Zika and COVID-19.

Previous epidemics

At the time of the first Nipah outbreak in 1998, about 300 people in Malaysia contracted the disease, more than 100 local residents died, and one million pigs were burned where the virus was detected.

It also spread to Singapore, where 11 cases and one death were reported among workers slaughtering pigs imported from Malaysia.

Since then, the disease has been first reported in Bangladesh and India, with both countries reporting an initial outbreak in 2001. According to the WHO, there were more than 600 cases of Nipah virus from 1998 to 2015.

Now in India, Nipah disease has peaked for the fourth time. The state managed to eliminate the dsstlabki group of diseases in a matter of weeks by large-scale tests and strict isolation of those in contact with patients.

Animal-borne viruses are common

Over the past 20-30 years, the number of zoonotic diseases transmitted from animals to humans has increased. Firstly, industrial agriculture increases the risk of pathogens spreading among animals, and secondly, deforestation increases the connection between wildlife, domestic animals and humans.

Scientists warn that the climate crisis is also increasing the risk of zoonotic diseases, 15,000 types of viruses can occur in 50 years.