A Writer By Tomoyuki Aso
"Hope to Spread this Blog Out Around the World Just In Case!!"
Hi. This is Tomoyuki Aso. These days, the number of infected people for the Wuhan virus is still increasing every single day; however, I discovered another deadly virus. This time, I am going to warn people to pay attention to another deadly virus in Southern countries such as Bangladesh, India, Singapore, and so on. The deadly virus is the Nipah virus. Is it a superbug that an Indian teenage astrologer Abhigha Anand predicted? I am going to introduce the character of the deadly virus.
Introduction of the Nipah virus
Nipah virus was first discovered in 1999. There was the first outbreak in pigs and people in Malaysia and Singapore as a result nearly 300 people were infected by the deadly virus. In addition, more than 100 people passed away due to this virus and caused an economic impact as more than 1 million pigs were killed to control the outbreak. After the first break in 1999, there were no other outbreaks; however, outbreaks have been recording annually in some parts of India and Bangladesh every year. Nipah virus was able to transmission person to person in outbreaks and get concerned about the potential for the deadly virus to cause a global pandemic. NiV is a member of the family Paramyxioviridae, genus Henipavirus. It is a zoonotic virus which means it transmits between animals and people. The animal host for the Nipah virus is the fruit bat or the flying fox. NiV is related to the Hendra virus. Infected fruit bat can spread and carry the disease to people or other animals. They can be infected if they are closed to the infected animals or their body fluids. The death rate is from 40 percent to 75 percent.
Transmission
Nipah virus can spread from:
- Infected animals for example bats, pigs, or their body fluids.
- Food products that contaminated by the body fluids of infected animals.
- Contact with the infected person for the Nipah virus or their body fluids.
During the first outbreak of this deadly virus, people were infected since they contacted the infected pigs. The Nipah virus showed up from bats to transmit to pigs. Finally, people who worked closely with the infected pigs began becoming ill. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the Nipah virus didn't transmit from person to person in the first outbreak; however, the Bangladeshi and the Indian government reported that the Nipah virus spread from person to person regularly. This is most commonly seen in the families, caregivers of the Nipah virus, and in healthcare settings. The transmission also occurs from the infected food products including palm sap or fruit that were contaminated by infected animals. CDC reported that some cases of the infection for the Nipah virus appeared from people who climbed trees often roost.
Signs and Symptoms
Nipah virus can lead to severe disease and potentially death.
Symptoms typically emerge from 4 to 14 days after you are infected by the Nipah virus. The illness initially presents as 3-14 days of fever and headache and often includes signs of respiratory illness for instance you have a cough, sore throat, and difficulty breathing. A phase of brain swelling might show up suddenly. Symptoms also can include drowsiness, disorientation, and mental confusion which can rapidly progress to coma within a day or two days.
Symptoms may initially include one or several of the following:
- Fever
- Headache
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Difficulty breathing
- Vomiting
Severe symptoms may appear for example:
- Disorientation, drowsiness, or confusion
- Seizures
- Coma
- Brain-swelling
The casualty rate is from 40 to 75% of cases. Long-term side effects in survivors of Nipah virus infection include persistent convulsions and personality changes. The Bangladesh and Indian government reported that infections that lead to symptoms and death last for months and years after exposure.
Diagnosis
Nipah virus infection can diagnose during illness or after recovery. There are still different tests to diagnose the Nipah virus infection. During the early stages of illness, a medical laboratory can conduct by using real-time polymerase chain reaction from the throat and nasal swabs, cerebrospinal fluid, urine, and blood. During the course of illness and after recovery, a medical laboratory and a hospital can conduct by utilizing an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Early diagnosis of the Nipah Virus has a hard time challenging because of the non-specific early symptoms of the illness; however, early detection and diagnosis are necessary to increase opportunities to be alive among infected individuals, prevent transmission to others, and manage outbreak response efforts. Doctors, Medical laboratories, and governments should consider the Nipah virus for infected the Nipah virus people who have been to Bangladesh and India especially if they have exposure.
Treatment
At the moment, there are no still licensed treatments available to recover from the Nipah virus infection. The treatment is still limited to support and care about the infected people including rest, hydration, and treatment of symptoms; however, immunotherapeutic treatments or monoclonal antibody therapies are still developing and evaluating treatment for the Nipah virus infections.
Monoclonal antibody or m102.4 completed phase one trial already and used on a compassionate use basis. In addition, the antiviral treatment remdesivir was becoming effective in non-human primates when it gave as post-exposure prophylaxis and might be complementary to immunotherapeutic treatments. The drug ribavirin used to treat a small number of patients in the outbreak of the Nipah virus in Malaysia, but the efficacy is still unclear.
Prevention
When the outbreak of the Nipah virus occurred, people should:
- Handwash regularly with soap and water.
- Avoid contracting with the infected bats or pigs and the blood or body fluids of any person known to be infected with the Nipah virus.
- Avoid areas where bats are known to roost.
- Avoid consumption of raw date palm sap and fruits that might be contaminated by bats.
Because the Nipah virus is able to transmit from person-to-person, standard infection control practices and proper barrier nursing techniques are important in preventing hospital-acquired infections or nosocomial transmission in settings where a patient confirmed or suspected the Nipah virus infection.
Other geographic locations might be at risk for the Nipah virus outbreaks in the future for example regions flying foxes or bat genus Pteropus live. These bats discover currently in Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. People and tourists who live in or visit these countries should consider taking the treatment when they live in areas where outbreaks already occurred.
Also, individuals are able to take to lower their risk for the Nipah virus infection, it will be critical for scientists, researchers, and communities at risk to keep on learning about the Nipah virus to protect the future for the infected people of the Nipah virus from outbreaks.
Broader prevention efforts include:
- Surveillance of animals and people in areas where the outbreak of the Nipah virus.
- Research on the ecology of fruit bats to understand where they live and how they spread the Nipah virus to other animals and people.
- Evaluation of novel technologies or methods to minimize the spread of the virus within bat populations.
- Tools to detect the virus early in communities and livestock.
- Protocols for healthcare settings on standard infection control practices to prevent person-to-person spread.
- Awareness about the signs, symptoms, and risk of the Nipah virus among populations at higher risk because of:
- Geographic location
- Contact with fruit bats or items contaminated by fruit bats
- Contact with pigs or animals that could come into contact with fruit bats
- A healthcare setting or a caregiver for people infected with the Nipah virus.
Resource
Conclusion
That's all about my blog. If this deadly virus should be spreading out around the world, people must take account into stay-at-home and lockdown to be alive, increase the casualty of this virus, and live together with the deadly virus. I'd appreciate it if you recognize and pay attention to this deadly virus. See you next time!!