There have been concerns about a Nipah virus outbreak in Bangladesh. To date, there have been confirmed cases of Nipah virus in six districts. Out of the ten people who have been diagnosed with Nipah virus infection, seven of them have died. Nipah virus is most commonly transmitted to humans from contact with bats and their secretions. A primary example of this comes from the drinking of date palm sap that has been contaminated by bat saliva or urine. Symptoms typically appear 4-14 days after infection and include fever, headache, vomiting, and cough; however, severe symptoms such as seizures and encephalitis can also occur. To prevent the increase in infections, health officials in Bangladesh have warned the public not to consume raw date palm juice or eat fruits collected from the ground. Fortunately, there have been no reports of person-to-person transmission in this current outbreak. There is no approved treatment for Nipah virus infection, although the use of monoclonal antibody therapy for Nipah virus is currently being studied. Some drugs such as ribavirin and remdesivir have shown promise in animal models and select case reports. It is crucial that the steps to prevent Nipah virus infection be taken, as this is a severe and highly lethal infection.
Inchara Raj is a medical student at University Texas of Medical Branch/John Sealy School of Medicine. She enjoys writing about medical and humanities topics and medical education.
References
https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/nipah/about/index.html