I am sure that most of you are aware of the Nipah virus which has caused a havoc in the state of Kerala in the past few days. And if you are still not aware of the news, here is the complete update. Recently, Kerala government has issued a high alert notice in the Kozhikode which has caused the death of twelve people in the state. The government has also recognized this as a deadly disease because it is spreading rapidly and has a high death rate. And for this, an emergency team is also formed by the National Center For Disease Control (NCDC) to help the citizens of the region fight the disease.
So, today here in this article, we are going to share some simple facts about the Nipah virus that you should know.
1. Falls under the category of zoonosis
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Well, it is a newly found virus in India which falls under the category of zoonosis. Here zoonosis means a virus which not only affects the human but also affects the animals. It is also found that this virus is transmitted to humans from the animals who have been affected. It can also be spread from human to human through direct contact.
2. This virus has a natural host
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Generally, most of the viruses have a natural host or living being in which it first starts to breed and then, starts to spread to the other species of animals. Like in case of malaria, the natural host is a mosquito. So, in case of this virus, the natural host is a fruit bat of the Pteropodidae family, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
3. Symptoms of this disease
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According to The Center For Disease Control And Prevention, the Nipah virus has the following symptoms.
• A headache and high fever which can occur anytime between 3 to 14 days from the time a person gets infected from the virus.
• Dizziness
• Inflammation in the brain
• Disorientation
• Respiratory problems
• Vomiting and many more.
It was also noted that more than 50 percent of the patients experienced mental confusion which is quite dangerous.
4. When it was first witnessed
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This virus was first identified in the year 1998 in Malaysia, and at that time the natural host were the pigs. And for this reason, more than 1.1 million pigs were killed to prevent this virus from spreading. While in the year 2001, this virus was first witnessed in India in the state of West Bengal.
According to the stats of WHO this deadly virus took approx. 300 lives across the countries which include Singapore, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and India between the 1998 and 2008.
5. Avoid purchasing food from unhygienic places
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Various experts and medical organization have advised people across the globe to avoid purchasing food, vegetables, and fruit from the unhygienic places. Plus, it is also advised that you should avoid direct contact with animal especially pigs and from the people who are infected.
6. No treatment is available for this virus
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At present, there is no specific treatment or vaccines available to treat this virus. Still, you can reduce its symptoms by proper medications. Drink a lot of fluids and take plenty of rest. As of now, the experts are working to find a specific treatment for this virus.
