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Nipah Virus (NiV)

2021 SEP 6

Preliminary   > Social Justice   >   Health   >   Health

Why in news?

  • Kerala has reported a fatality from a case of infection by the Nipah virus in the district of Kozhikode.

About Nipah virus:

  • Nipah virus (NiV) is a zoonotic virus (it is transmitted from animals to humans) and can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly between people.
  • It is not likely to spread like Covid-19 as it is not an air borne infection.
  • It is a type of RNA virus in the genus Henipavirus. The virus normally circulates among specific types of fruit bats
  • In infected people, it causes a range of illnesses from asymptomatic (subclinical) infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis.
  • The virus can also cause severe disease in animals such as pigs, resulting in significant economic losses for farmers. 
  • Although Nipah virus has caused only a few known outbreaks in Asia, it infects a wide range of animals and causes severe disease and death in people, making it a public health concern.

Source of Nipah virus:

  • The virus was first identified in Kampung Sungai Nipah in Malaysia and in Singapore in 1998.
  • At that time, it was primarily caused in pigs and through them got transferred to the humans.
  • As quoted by the World Health Organisation, the natural hosts of the virus are fruit bats of the Pteropodidae Family, Pteropus genus.

Treatment for Nipah virus:

  • No vaccine has been developed for curing the infection in both humans and animals. The primary treatment for human cases is intensive supportive care and supportive medicines.

Add ons:

  • As of 2020 about 700 human cases of Nipah virus were estimated to have occurred, and 50 to 75 percent of those infected died.
  • In May 2018, an outbreak of the disease caused 17 deaths in the state of Kerala.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Which of the following statements are correct regarding Nipah virus?

1. Nipah virus is a zoonotic virus

2. It can be transmitted through contaminated food.

3. No vaccine has been developed against Nipah virus infection.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer

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