Not only do computers get a virus, but humans also do too. And when they do get infected, it turns out deadly sometimes. Six deaths due to the virus had been confirmed by the government. This Nipah virus is spreading contagiously in Kerala and the government is taking immediate actions to control and prevent it. You need to know the preventive measures and symptoms of this virus to stay safe. Read on.
What Is Nipah Virus?
Nipah Virus (NIV) infection is a newly emerging zoonosis that causes severe disease in both animals and humans.
– NiV was first identified in 1998 during an outbreak in Malaysia.
– Fruit bats are natural hosts of NiV
The Nipah virus (NiV) infection in humans has a range of clinical presentations, from asymptomatic infection to acute respiratory syndrome and fatal encephalitis, according to the World Health Organisation.
It also says that NiV is also capable of causing disease in pigs and other domestic animals. There is no vaccine for either humans or animals. The primary treatment for human cases is intensive supportive care.
How Is The Nipah Virus Transmitted?
– By consuming fruits eaten by infected birds or bats.
– It may occur after direct contact with infected bats.
– Through contact with other NiV infected people.
Symptoms Of Nipah
– Fever
– Headache
– Drowsiness
– Disorientation
– Mental confusion
– Coma
– Potentially death
Treatment Of Nipah
– No specific treatment for Nipah Virus.
– Primary treatment is intensive supportive care.
The Kerala health department has been put on high alert in the wake of the death of three members of a family here in the past fortnight due to the Nipah virus.
Rajeev Sadanandan, additional chief secretary, department of health and family welfare said that the virus was confirmed in the tests conducted at the Pune institute on samples of the three deceased from a family at Changaroth panchayat.
Moreover, Sandanandan says, “We will now treat all persons presenting similar symptoms as potential Nipah infected cases as part of disease surveillance.”
The health department has activated precautionary measures and issued an alert to the public. “As the primary host of Nipah virus is fruit bats, the disease control and containment strategy include asking people to desist from eating bat eaten fruits. Also, the district collector has been asked to stop toddy tapping in the area as toddy can become contaminated with saliva or bat urine. And, pigs too can serve as intermediate hosts of the virus and as per reports there are many pig farms in the area and steps have been taken in that regard,” Sadanandan said.
Spread Through Bats
A nursing assistant, Lini, who had treated three infected persons, died this morning. However, it is yet to be confirmed if she had contracted the virus, which spreads through bats.
Five more people have died due to high fever and similar symptoms of the virus here and in the neighboring Malappuram district. However, it is yet to be confirmed if their deaths were caused by the virus, health department sources said.
NiV was first identified during an outbreak of disease that took place in Kampung Sungai Nipah in Malaysia in 1998. Then, pigs were the intermediate hosts. However, in subsequent NiV outbreaks, there were no intermediate hosts. And, In Bangladesh in 2004, humans became infected with NiV as a result of consuming date palm sap that had been contaminated by infected fruit bats. What do you think about this outbreak? Let us know your opinions in the comments.
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