The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said: “The Indian authorities are following up on more than 190 cases who were in contact with people infected with the Nipah virus, and none of them have shown symptoms of the disease so far.”
He added that the Indian authorities have intensified surveillance and examination efforts, and taken preventive and infection control measures in hospitals, while constantly informing the public about how to protect themselves.
He stressed that no cases of infection linked to this outbreak have been recorded in any other country.
Global pandemic?
The World Health Organization has confirmed that the possibility of the disease spreading to other Indian states or to other countries is considered small.
The organization indicated that the risk of the Nipah virus is considered “medium at the sub-national level, and low at the national, regional and global levels.”
The organization also clarified that it does not recommend imposing any restrictions on travel or trade based on current information about cases.
Nipah virus is deadly?
Nipah virus (NiV) is a highly dangerous zoonotic virus, with a fatality rate ranging between 40% and 75%. The virus is transmitted from infected fruit bats or pigs to humans, and causes severe respiratory illness and encephalitis that can be fatal. The virus was discovered in 1998, and causes annual outbreaks in various regions of Asia.
Given previously recorded high mortality rates, ranging from 40% to 75%, and the lack of approved vaccines or treatments for humans, Nipah virus is considered a major threat to public health. Organizations such as the World Health Organization have classified it as one of the pathogens that requires priority in developing medical measures to confront epidemics and pandemics.
There is currently no approved vaccine to treat this disease, but early detection contributes to reducing the mortality rate.
Initial symptoms of Nipah virus infection include fever, body aches, and headache.
The World Health Organization stated that “the incubation period ranges between 3 and 14 days, and in rare cases it may reach 45 days.”
