Nipah virus

Nipah virus (NiV) is a zoonotic virus that can spread from animals to humans, via contaminated food, and through direct person‑to‑person contact. It causes illness ranging from no symptoms to acute respiratory disease and fatal encephalitis, and also severely affects pigs and some other domestic animals. The virus was first recognized in 1999 among pig farmers in Malaysia and Singapore, and later caused almost yearly outbreaks in Bangladesh and periodic outbreaks in eastern India; bats of the genus Pteropus are the natural reservoir and similar viruses or antibodies have been detected in bats across Asia and parts of Africa. Human infection has been linked to contact with infected pigs, consumption of fruit or date palm sap contaminated by infected bats, and close contact with infected patients, including in healthcare settings. Clinical features range from asymptomatic infection to fever, h ... Читати далі »