NIPAH VIRUS

The currently emerging NIPAH Virus is spreading at a rapid pace. Initially discovered in Malaysia, the virus has already attested 10 victims all over India and grabbed light when diagnosed in a nurse working in Kerala. It is also spreading across Bangladesh and Singapore.

The retrovirus originally belongs to the genus Henipavirus and tends to infect both human and animals.

The disease is currently being diagnosed using PCR[polymerase chain reaction]and autopsy.

Its infection proceeds from no symptoms

The majorly witnessed symptoms are:

• Inflammation of the brain [encephalitis]
• Asphyxiation
• Headache
• Drowsiness
• Mental confusion

The rapidly spreading epidemic holds its major source of infection from sick pigs and bats. As a result of this, millions of pigs were brutally killed to get a control of the disease.

It can be prevented, by adopting several measures:

• Avoiding raw palm sap contaminated by bat’s excreta. since bats tend to urinate in the open containers which store toddy.
• Keeping away from sick pigs.
• Avoiding fruits partially eaten by bats.
• Being protected against nosocomial infections acquired from hospitals.

Researches are being performed over several drugs like:

• Ribavirin
• Chloroquine -the antimalarial drug

No vaccines and medicines have been discovered aimed to cure the Nipah virus infection. Therefore recovery could only be expected by intensive, supportive care.

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