New Epidemic Threat from Nipah Virus? Doctor Explains

Описание: Sources- PMID 37131986
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The Nipah virus (NiV) is classified as a high-priority "Priority Pathogen" by the World Health Organization due to its significant epidemic potential and exceptionally high fatality rate, which can range from 40% to 75%. As a zoonotic virus, it primarily resides in Pteropodid bats (commonly known as fruit bats or flying foxes). While the virus does not make the bats sick, they shed it in their saliva, urine, and excrement. The threat to humans is particularly high in South and Southeast Asia, where the natural habitats of these bats frequently overlap with human agriculture and residential areas. Contracting the virus typically occurs through direct contact with infected animals or through the consumption of contaminated food products. A common source of outbreaks in Bangladesh and India has been the consumption of raw date palm sap, which can become contaminated with bat urine or saliva overnight as the bats feed from the collection pots. Humans can also contract the virus from "intermediate hosts," most notably pigs, which can become infected by eating fruit half-eaten by bats. Once a human is infected, the virus can spread through human-to-human transmission, usually via respiratory droplets or close contact with the bodily fluids of a patient. This makes hospital settings and family caregiving environments particularly vulnerable during an outbreak.

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