What is the Nipah Virus? Symptoms to Watch as India Races to Contain Deadly Outbreak

India is trying to contain the outbreak of the Nipah virus in West Bengal, where more than 100 people have been quarantined and five cases confirmed, including doctors and nurses. Those quarantined have been kept at home while the infected patients are being treated in hospitals in and around Kolkata, according to media reports, with one patient in a critical condition. According to the National Institutes of Health, Nipah is a zoonotic virus that can spread between animals and people. Human Nipah virus (NiV) infection is an emerging zoonotic disease that was first recognized in a large outbreak of 276 reported cases in Malaysia and Singapore from September 1998 to May 1999. In India, during 2001 and 2007, two outbreaks in humans were reported from West Bengal, neighbouring

Bangladesh. The World Health Organisation says human infections are rare and usually occur when the virus spills over from bats, often through contaminated fruit. The outbreak is mostly centred around the town of Barasat near Kolkata, and the two initially infected patients still remain in the intensive care unit of the local hospital. Subsequent testing identified three further infections among healthcare workers at the same facility — a doctor, another nurse, and a health staff member. These three have been admitted to the government-run infectious diseases hospital in Beleghata.

What is the Nipah virus?

Nipah virus mostly begins with non-specific symptoms, making early detection difficult. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the incubation period is generally believed to range from four to 21 days, though longer delays between exposure and illness have been reported in rare cases during previous outbreaks. Patients usually develop a sudden flu-like illness that is marked:

• High fever
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Fatigue.
• Respiratory symptoms such as cough
• Shortness of breath
• Pneumonia

Also read: Nipah Alert in West Bengal After Two Suspected Cases: What Is the Deadly Virus and Its Symptoms?

The most dangerous symptom of the Nipah virus

According to doctors, the most serious and dangerous complication of Nipah infection is inflammation of the brain, also known as encephalitis. Neurological symptoms, which include confusion, altered consciousness, seizures, or coma, usually appear several days to weeks after the initial onset of illness. It can also lead to meningitis in a few patients, which is life-threatening.

How does the Nipah virus spread?

People can be infected with Nipah from:

• Direct contact with infected animals, like bats or pigs
• Consuming food or drinks, like fruit or raw date palm sap, that are soiled by infected animals
• Close contact with the body fluids of an infected person
• A person may become infected by drinking raw date palm sap or eating fruit that is contaminated by an infected bat. This initial spread from an animal to a person is known as a spillover event.
• Once a person is infected with Nipah, the virus can spread from person to person.

Ways to reduce the risk

Caregivers and healthcare providers caring for a patient with Nipah are at a higher risk of becoming infected. If you travel to or live in an area where Nipah virus outbreaks have occurred, make sure to:

• Wash your hands regularly with soap and water
• Avoid contact with flying fox bats or sick pigs
• Avoid areas where bats roost
• Avoid touching anything that could be soiled by bats
• Avoid eating raw date palm sap or fruit that could be soiled by bats
• Avoid contact with the blood or body fluids of someone with Nipah