Nipah-virus-problem
First recognized in the 1999 in Malaysia, Nipah virus infection can be fatal. Caused by NiV, a zoonotic virus of Paramyxoviridae family, this infection is moderately contagious. In the year 2018, the outbreak of Nipah claimed 17 lives just in Kerala. And, recently, a suspected case has again been reported in the state. According to the sources, a 23-year-old patient from Ernakulam district of Kerala has been moved to an isolation ward in a private hospital. Generally, Nipah virus takes five to 14 days’ time to show the symptoms of infection. There have been few cases with much longer incubation periods, as long as 45 days. This infection is characterized by symptoms like fever, headache, sore throat, vomiting, dizziness, atypical pneumonia etc. This infection gets transmitted through direct contact with sick pigs or their contaminated tissues, consumption of contaminated with urine or saliva from infected fruit bats, through close contact with infected people's secretions and excretions. As far as its diagnosis is concerned, doctors perform a combination of tests including RT-PCR, antibody detection test ELISA etc. Currently, there is no available drugs or vaccines specific for Nipah virus infection. This makes it more significant than other infections to prevent Nipah virus infection. Read on to know how you can do that.