A 12 year old boy of kerala,India died of Nipah virus on September 5,2021.It is after 3 years that kerala reported a case of Nipah virus after the outbreak was contained in 2018.
Nipah virus is a zoonotic virus that means the transmission occurs between animals and human.Bats are the natural reservoir of Nipah virus.The virus is known to infect pigs and human.It can cause from mild illness to encephalitis and ultimately death.In 1999,an outbreak of the disease in malaysia and singapore caused 300 human cases and more than 100 deaths.About one million pigs were killed to control the virus.It is now a disease of concern because man to man transmission are seen in caregivers of infected people in Bangladesh and India.
Nipah virus can be transmitted via
1.Direct contact with infected animals(pigs,bats)
2.Eating food products that are contaminated with body fluids of infected bats
3.Body fluids of an infected person(respiratory droplet,urine or blood)
Sign and symptoms of Nipah virus are very similar to Covid 19.It ranges from subclinical cases to acute respiratory infection to fatal encephalitis.Infected people usually develop symptoms after 4 to 14 days of exposure to the virus that means the incubation period of Nipah virus is 4-14 days.It initially presents with fever,headache,malaise,myalgia,sore throat and vomiting which progresses rapidly to dizziness,drowsiness,altered consciousness (neurological manifestations of encephalitis).Encephalitis and seizures occur in severe casses.The patient may progress to coma.The case fatality rate is 40-80 % that means death may occur in 40 - 80 % of cases. Persistent convulsions have been reported in survivors of Nipah virus.
The diagnosis of this virus is difficult due to its non-specific symptoms.The tests used to diagnose are real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and ELISA.Early diagnosis helps in limiting the transmission of the Nipah virus.
There is no specific treatment or vaccine against Nipah virus.Management is supportive care with hydration,rest and symptomatic treatment as they occur.
