Health authorities and airports in Asia have reinstated Covid-19-like restrictions following an outbreak of the Nipah virus - a deadly virus for which there is no cure.
Several airports have stepped up preventive measures after five cases of the virus, which is transmitted by bats and can infect both pigs and humans, were confirmed in India's West Bengal region.
The disease, which has never been seen in North America, can also spread from person to person. According to the World Health Organization, the mortality rate is 40–75 percent, due to complications such as respiratory failure and brain swelling.
Around 100 people in West Bengal have been quarantined after the virus was identified at a hospital, authorities said. A doctor, a nurse and another staff member tested positive after the first two cases were detected in a male and female nurse from the same district.
The Secretary General of the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Narayan Swaroop Nigam, said that one of the nurses is in a critical condition, in a coma, after both developed high fever and severe respiratory problems between December 31 and January 2. It is believed that the nurse was infected while treating a patient with severe respiratory problems, who died before tests for the Nipah virus could be conducted.
International preventive measures
In response to the outbreak, Thailand's Ministry of Public Health has instituted health screening for passengers arriving at major airports from West Bengal. Passengers are being screened for fever and other symptoms of the virus, including headache, sore throat, vomiting and muscle aches. Travelers are also being given information cards explaining what to do if they develop symptoms.
Phuket International Airport is undergoing enhanced cleaning due to direct links to West Bengal, even though no cases have been reported in Thailand. Local media reports that travelers with high temperatures or suspicious symptoms may be sent to quarantine.
Nepal has raised the alert level at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu and at land border points with India to prevent the virus from entering the country.
Taiwan's health authorities are considering classifying Nipah virus as a Category 5 disease, the highest level for serious new infections under local law. This would require immediate reporting and special control measures if cases are confirmed. Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control also maintains a Level 2 ("yellow") travel alert for the Indian state of Kerala, advising travelers to exercise caution.
The risk and spread of the virus
Nipah virus is zoonotic, meaning it can be passed from animals to humans. It was first identified in 1999 during an outbreak among pig farmers in Malaysia and has since been reported in Singapore, Bangladesh, India and the Philippines.
The WHO says transmission occurs primarily through contact with secretions from infected animals or their tissues. Some outbreaks have been linked to fruit or fruit juices contaminated with the urine or saliva of infected bats. The disease can also be transmitted from person to person.
Globally, about 750 cases and over 400 deaths have been confirmed. Many patients do not show symptoms, but those who do report signs 4–14 days after infection, including fever, headache, sore throat, vomiting, and muscle aches. Symptoms can quickly progress to dizziness, confusion, seizures, respiratory distress, coma, and encephalitis – a deadly inflammation of the brain.
There is currently no vaccine or cure, and doctors can only treat the symptoms. /GazetaExpress/
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