BANGKOK, Thailand – Professor Yong Poovorawan, Head of the Center of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine, shared information on his Facebook Page to help the public understand the Nipah virus, which was recently reported in India.
Professor Yong explained that the Nipah virus is not a new disease. It was first identified in Malaysia in 1998 and caused over 100 deaths. Studies suggest that environmental factors, such as drought linked to El Niño and forest fires in Sumatra, Indonesia, may have driven fruit bats into Malaysia. The virus likely spread from bats to pigs through contaminated fruit, and then from pigs to humans, especially among those involved in pig farming and transport.
The virus was named after the Nipah River, where the first outbreak occurred. Control measures included culling over 1 million pigs, which contained the outbreak. Since then, cases have occurred sporadically, mainly in South Asia. Nipah virus is recognized as a zoonotic disease with a high fatality rate.
Regarding the current situation in India, Professor Yong noted that outbreaks have occurred intermittently in the past, usually in small numbers. Transmission most often occurs from bats to humans. Human-to-human transmission can occur through direct contact with bodily fluids, but it remains rare and typically does not cause widespread outbreaks.
Nipah virus infection is characterized by high fever, muscle aches, and breathing difficulties, with an incubation period of about four to five days. The disease can progress rapidly and has no specific treatment; care is supportive. Fatality rates range from 40 to 50 percent.
Preventive measures include avoiding contact with wildlife, especially bats, not eating fruit that has been bitten by animals or fallen to the ground, washing and peeling fruit before eating, and avoiding contact with sick animals such as pigs. Keeping good personal hygiene is also very important.
Professor Yong stressed that people should not panic, as the Nipah virus has never been detected in humans in Thailand, even though bats can carry it without showing symptoms. Human-to-human spread is rare and needs close contact with bodily fluids. The disease remains classified as a serious communicable disease. (NNT)
