User:Mr. Ibrahem/Nipah virus infection

A Nipah virus infection is a viral infection caused by the Nipah virus. Symptoms from infection vary from none to fever, cough, headache, shortness of breath, and confusion. This may worsen into a coma over a day or two. Complications can include inflammation of the brain and seizures following recovery.

The Nipah virus (NiV) is a type of RNA virus in the genus Henipavirus. The virus normally circulates among specific types of fruit bats. It can both spread between people and from other animals to people. Spread typically requires direct contact with an infected source. Diagnosis is based on symptoms and confirmed by laboratory testing.

Management involves supportive care. As of 2023 there is no vaccine or specific treatment. Prevention is by avoiding exposure to bats and sick pigs and not drinking raw date palm sap. As of May 2018 about 700 human cases are estimated to have occurred and 40 to 75% of those who were infected died. In May 2018, an outbreak of the disease resulted in 17 deaths in the Indian state of Kerala.

The disease was first identified in 1998 during an outbreak in Malaysia while the virus was isolated in 1999. It is named after a village in Malaysia, Sungai Nipah. Pigs may also be infected and millions were killed by Malaysian authorities in 1999 to stop the spread of disease.