2023-10-02 12:31:00
Would we face a probable new global epidemic? This is the question that many scientists have been asking since the appearance of six cases of Nipah virus in India, in the state of Kerala, located in the south of the country.
Two people died, pushing the country to employ preventive measures such as those deployed during the Covid-19 epidemic: school closures, screening tests and restricted access to certain areas.
Nipah virus disease is transmitted from animals to humansit is therefore a zoonotic virus.
The fruit bat is the main natural host of Nipah virus, but other animals can also be vectors following consuming fruit contaminated with bat saliva or urine.
It was in 1999, in Malaysia, that the first Nipah virus epidemic took place. At the time, pigs had been contaminated. It is in Bangladesh that the virus is quite present. Since 2001, Nipah virus outbreaks occur almost every year.
Nipah virus: how are we infected?
Transmission to humans can therefore occur through direct contact with bats or other contaminated animals, through consumption of infected fruit, or also through a sick person, as detailed by the Consulate General of France to Pondicherry.
Nipah virus: is it deadly?
The Nipah virus can be fatal, its fatality rate would be between 40 and 75%. “This figure may nevertheless vary depending on the outbreaks, depending on local capacities for epidemiological surveillance and clinical management,” specifies the WHO.
It should also be noted that people who contract the virus are, following recovering, in 20% of cases, victims of long-term neurological disorders.
Nipah virus: what are the symptoms?
As with Covid, a person infected with the Nipah virus may or may not have symptoms.. In more serious cases, it can be an acute respiratory infection or even fatal encephalitis.
Different symptoms can be associated with Nipah virus disease. In the first place, the infected person may have a feverheadache (headache), myalgia (muscle pain), vomiting and sore throat.
The WHO details the other symptoms that may appear in the event of Nipah virus infection: “Dizziness, drowsiness, altered state of consciousness and neurological signs suggestive of acute encephalitis may then appear. Some people may also have atypical pneumonia and severe respiratory problems., including acute respiratory failure. In severe cases, encephalitis and seizures are observed, which progress to coma within 24 to 48 hours. »
Nipah virus: is there a treatment?
Currently, no treatment – vaccine and/or medication – has been developed to combat the Nipah virus.
Nipah virus: should we fear a global epidemic?
Interviewed by RTBF.be, Professor Emmanuel Bottieau, infectious disease specialist at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp explained that, for the moment, there is no reason to fear a global spread of the virus : “At this stage, it is not a virus that has pandemic potential as we saw with SARS-CoV2. Firstly because the transmission is relatively inefficient. It really takes close direct contact for the virus to be transmitted. And then because, for the moment anyway, the type of bat that plays an important role in transmission is not localized in many countries. »
The specialist also added to his remarks: “That said, it rather resembles an Ebola type scenario, in the sense that we have a serious illness with a high fatality percentage, but with a virus that is not very infectious, not very contagious. However, despite everything, with Ebola, we had a regional epidemic in three West African countries. So this kind of scenario can never be completely ruled out. »
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