The world is observing the Nipah virus’s dissemination with apprehension, noting its elevated fatality rate, which can reach as high as 75%.
Scanning travelers at Suvarnabhumi International Airport (Thailand) / © Associated Press
An incidence of the Nipah virus, against which neither a prophylactic nor a therapeutic treatment exists, has been registered in the Indian province of West Bengal. Owing to the elevated death rate, a number of Asian nations have already implemented rigorous health inspections for individuals entering from India.
This information originates from BBC News Russian Service.
Thailand has implemented enhanced passenger monitoring at three airfields that handle incoming flights originating from West Bengal. In Nepal, evaluations are being conducted not solely at Kathmandu airport but also at overland border crossings shared with India.
Parallel actions have been initiated in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, where healthcare monitoring has been heightened at national boundaries.
At the commencement of January, five healthcare practitioners in West Bengal exhibited positive test results for the Nipah virus, with one individual reported to be in critical condition. Approximately 110 persons who maintained interaction with the afflicted individuals have been placed under quarantine.
The pathogen can propagate from fauna to humans. Given the absence of a prophylactic or efficacious treatment, the fatality rate persists at an exceedingly elevated level, fluctuating from 40% to 75%.
Strengthening control in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan
The 24.kg news agency, referencing the Ministry of Health of Kyrgyzstan, communicated on January 27 that no instances of contagion have been identified within the nation.
“There is no justification for alarm. The country's public health infrastructure stands prepared to react swiftly to any conceivable epidemiological risks,” the ministry stated. It further affirmed that sanitary oversight has been intensified at the national perimeter “to impede the potential importation of contagion.”
Uzbekistan also documented an absence of instances, and boundary inspections have concurrently been escalated. The state authorities underscored that “the likelihood of this ailment entering our territory is exceedingly low.”
Previously, the Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan declared the augmentation of sanitary and quarantine vigilance at the frontier “with specific consideration afforded to nationals arriving from India and supplementary nations within Southeast Asia.”
What is known about the Nipah virus: symptoms
Nipah virus can spread to humans from creatures, encompassing swine and chiroptera, as well as from person to person via tainted foodstuffs.
By virtue of its prospective epidemic danger, the World Health Organization has incorporated Nipah within its compilation of the ten most hazardous ailments, alongside Covid-19 and the Zika virus.
The incubation duration spans from 4 to 14 days. The advancement of the ailment can fluctuate from asymptomatic to critical.
Initial symptoms:
-
elevated body temperature,
-
cephalalgia,
-
muscular discomfort,
-
emesis,
-
pharyngitis,
-
Certain individuals undergo somnolence, bewilderment, and pneumonia.
In dire circumstances, encephalitis, an existence-imperiling inflammation of the cerebrum, may manifest.
At present, there exist no authorized medications or immunizations to address Nipah virus.
Where have Nipah virus outbreaks been recorded before?
The inaugural documented outbreak of Nipah transpired in 1998 on porcine establishments within Malaysia, following which the contagion disseminated to Singapore. The virus derives its designation from the community wherein it was initially unearthed.
Exceeding 100 individuals perished then, and roughly a million swine were eradicated to regulate the proliferation of the affliction, precipitating substantial economic setbacks for the agricultural domain.
Throughout subsequent years, Bangladesh endured the most severe impact, registering over 100 fatalities since 2001. Within India, outbreaks materialized in West Bengal during 2001 and 2007. In recent times, the province of Kerala has ascended as the principal focal point of the virus: during 2018, 19 instances were tallied, 17 of which proved lethal, and during 2023, two out of the six verified instances culminated in mortality.
What is happening now?
As of the preceding week, a minimum of five instances of contagion have been validated within West Bengal, all interconnected with a private medical facility situated in the city of Barasat.
Two nurses are presently within intensive care units, with one persisting in an “exceptionally grave” state, as reported by local media citing the province’s health department.
On January 25, Thailand broadened its screening of passengers at three international aerodromes located in Bangkok and Phuket that accept flights originating from West Bengal. Passengers are being solicited to fulfill health questionnaires.
Furthermore, the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Authority of Thailand has augmented oversight within prevalent tourist locales.
Department of Disease Control spokesperson Jurai Wongswasdi conveyed that authorities were “generally self-assured” in their proficiency to avert an outbreak within the country.
Concurrently, Taiwan’s health authorities have instigated the incorporation of Nipah virus within its compendium of “category five ailments.” Under the prevailing framework, this tier encompasses novel or infrequent contagions that pose a substantial menace to public health and necessitate specialized regulatory interventions.
As a recapitulation, five instances of Nipah virus contagion have been detected within the Indian province of West Bengal, encompassing personnel at a private medical institution proximal to Kolkata. One of the nurses is currently in a comatose state, and approximately 200 individuals are under observation. The virus, transmitted via bats, swine, or through tainted foodstuffs, induces pyrexia and severe encephalitis. Attributable to the absence of immunizations and a mortality rate reaching 75%, the WHO has recognized Nipah as a prioritized peril possessing pandemic potential. Experts advocate that individuals circumvent interaction with wild fauna and thoroughly purify comestibles.