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The Nipah virus claimed the life of a 14-year-old boy from Malappuram district of Kerala
The resurgence of the infection, which often spreads from fruit bats to humans and other animals, has prompted the State government to impose containment measures in at least two panchayats in the district
Nipah Virus
It is a zoonotic virus (it is transmitted from animals to humans).
The organism that causes Nipah Virus encephalitis is an RNA virus of the family Paramyxoviridae, genus Henipavirus
It first broke out in Malaysia and Singapore in 1998 and 1999.
The disease is named after a village in Malaysia, Sungai Nipah, where it was first detected.
It first appeared in domestic pigs and has been found among several species of domestic animals including dogs, cats, goats, horses and sheep.
The disease spreads through fruit bats or ‘flying foxes,’ of the genus Pteropus, who are natural reservoir hosts of the Nipah and Hendra viruses.
The virus is present in bat urine and potentially, bat faeces, saliva, and birthing fluids.
Symptoms: The human infection presents as an encephalitic syndrome marked by fever, headache, drowsiness, disorientation, mental confusion, coma, and potentially death.
Prevention: Currently, there are no vaccines for both humans and animals.
Intensive supportive care is given to humans infected by the Nipah virus.
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