User:Jtownsend10/Nipah virus

Nipah virus is a bat-borne, zoonotic virus that causes Nipah virus infection in humans and other animals, a disease with a very high mortality rate (40-75%). Numerous disease outbreaks caused by Nipah virus have occurred in North East Africa and Southeast Asia. Nipah virus belongs to the genus Henipavirus along with the Hendra virus, which has also caused disease outbreaks.

Symptoms of infection from the Malaysian outbreak were primarily encephalitic in humans and respiratory in pigs. Later outbreaks have caused respiratory illness in humans, increasing the likelihood of human-to-human transmission and indicating the existence of more dangerous strains of the virus.

During the 1999 outbreak of Nipah virus, which occurred among pig farmers, the majority of human infections stemmed from direct contact with sick pigs and the unprotected handling of secretions from the pigs.

Treatment[edit]
Presently, there are no dedicated drugs or vaccines available for the treatment or prevention of Nipah virus infection.The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated Nipah virus as a priority disease within the WHO Research and Development Blueprint. In cases of severe respiratory and neurological complications resulting from Nipah virus infection, healthcare professionals advise intensive supportive care as the primary treatment approach.