How Worried Should You Be About the Nipah Virus?
Infectious diseases have, of course, always been a problem, but since the coronavirus pandemic first hit America in early 2020, public concern about viruses and disease has been high . There has been talk lately about something called the Nipah virus.
What the heck is that? Is he going to shut it down? We all die?
No. Calm down. We’re all right. The best way to protect yourself from any disease is to be aware, not panic and take the initiative to avoid contracting it. Let’s see what Nipah is.
What is Nipah Virus?
According to the World Health Organization, the Nipah virus causes a number of clinical manifestations. The sick person may have an asymptomatic infection or an acute respiratory infection and fatal encephalitis. (We also had to look for “encephalitis”; it’s an inflammation of the brain.)
Typical symptoms include fever or headache for three days to two weeks. After that, some people develop coughs, sore throats, and other respiratory problems. Symptoms can progress to swelling of brain cells, leading to drowsiness, confusion, and possibly even coma and death.
The case fatality rate ranges from 40% to 75%, but this rate varies depending on where the outbreak occurs and how prepared the area is in terms of surveillance and clinical management. A zoonotic virus, it can be transmitted to humans from animals such as bats or pigs, or even from contaminated food. It can also spread from person to person, but it is less contagious than the coronavirus and seems to require contact with body fluids. Like the coronavirus, Nipach has an incubation period of four to 14 days from the onset of symptoms. However, WHO notes that “an incubation period of up to 45 days has been reported.”
According to the WHO, there is no cure or vaccine for humans or animals. The primary treatment for a person is supportive therapy.
This sounds pretty bad so far, let’s agree, but don’t worry. A fatality rate of 40% to 75% seems high, but remember that this depends on where the outbreak is located, and the number of people who die depends on the number of people who become infected at all. The virus is known to have killed just over 260 people since its discovery in 1999.
Why is Nipah on the news now?
A 12-year-old boy in Kerala, India, died of Nipah earlier this month, and authorities are rushing to contain the outbreak, according to CBS News. So far, they are confirming new infections with careful contact tracing. They identified, quarantined and tested people who may have been in contact with the boy, and as of last Monday they identified 188, of which 20 were considered high-risk primary contacts. So far, only two of these people have started showing symptoms. The case is the second in three years that an outbreak of the Nipah virus has been reported in the state.
Since the virus was discovered in Malaysia in 1999, there have been several outbreaks. They all happened in South and Southeast Asia. Between 1998 and 2018, the virus caused 643 cases and 380 deaths . In contrast, COVID-19 caused over 200 million cases and over 4 million deaths in less than two years.
As mentioned, the disease can affect a number of animals. However, the natural host of the nipah is the bat, so areas where people live in close proximity pose a higher risk.
What does this mean to you?
An outbreak of a deadly virus on the other side of the world is a tragedy, but don’t panic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends preventing nipah infection, washing your hands regularly, avoiding contact with sick bats and pigs, avoiding places where bats can hatch, avoiding raw date palm juice or fruit that may have been infected with bats, and avoid contact with blood or body fluids of any person infected with Nipah.
Please note that these guidelines are specifically for people “living in areas affected by Nipah Virus (NiV) outbreaks”. The CDC points directly to Bangladesh, Malaysia, India and Singapore, and then mentions countries where bats live – such as Cambodia, Indonesia, Madagascar, the Philippines, and Thailand – as possible locations that “could be at risk” in the future. Take comfort in the sheer number of countries not on any of the lists, and then take comfort in the fact that you probably already wash your hands, stay away from bats, and avoid other people’s bodily fluids.
It is good to be aware and safe, but nothing to worry about yet. Remember that your mental health is just as important as your physical, and try to avoid a disaster due to an outbreak of a virus that has killed several hundred people in more than 20 years and is likely far from where you live.
Stay informed, stay tuned, wear a mask in crowded areas, and keep hand sanitizer on deck. Either way, you’ve got enough to keep busy amid the surge in Delta.