Nipah virus overview

Nipah virus (Nipah virus get, NiV) is a zoonotic RNA viruses, belong to the paramyxovirus family, can cause a wide range of vasculitis, patients have symptoms such as fever, severe headache, meningitis, bring serious damage to people and animals. Nipah virus first pig farmers to appear with viral encephalitis were found in Malaysia, in Bangladesh, India and the Philippines happened after nipah outbreaks of viral encephalitis. Nipah virus can spread from person to person and has a fatality rate of 40-75%.

Nipah virus transmission

Nipah virus can be transmitted in several main ways:

1. Direct contact Transmission : It is transmitted through contact with respiratory droplets, nasal secretions, and tissues of infected animals.

2. food communication: by eating infected bats urine, feces, or saliva contamination of food and spread.

3.The air : nipah viruses can be transmitted by respiratory droplets, aerosol.

4. contact communication: direct contact with patients with nipah virus may also be infected with the virus.

Nipah virus prevention measures

Personal precautions

1.Avoid contact  : avoid contact with pigs, bats and other possible host animal.

2. Food safety : Make sure food is well cooked and do not eat raw date palm juice, raw fruit, or unclean food.

3. Personal hygiene : Wash your hands frequently, especially after touching potentially contaminated items.4

4.use of protective equipment： in handling sick animals or their tissues, and gloves should be worn in the process of slaughter and culling and wear protective clothing.

Public health prevention measures

1. environmental health regular : cleaning and disinfection may become the medium of transmission environment and items.

2. Isolation measures : once you discover the outbreak, should immediately isolate infected individuals and their contacts.

3. Surveillance System : Establish an animal health/wildlife surveillance system to provide early warning to veterinary and human public health authorities.

Medical preventive measures

1.Standard protective : in medical institutions, medical staff in caring for patients with suspected or confirmed nipah virus infection when should implement standard infection control precautions.

2. Laboratory Testing : Perform appropriate laboratory testing on people and animals with suspected Nipah virus infection.

The latest research progress

The latest research shows that scientists are working hard to develop a vaccine against the Nipah virus. Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai institute of immunity and infection of institutions such as the researchers published a study, they developed the consensus sequence based on nipah virus fusion protein vaccine, in mice induced a rapid and efficient humoral and cellular immune response, show the complete protection effect of nipah virus. The study for the future of nipah virus vaccine development has provided the important data and hope.

Summary

To sum up, nipah virus is a kind of high fatality rate, mainly through direct contact, food and air. Although there are no specific treatments and vaccines, but through the above precautions can to a certain extent, reduce the risk of infection. With the development of scientific research, it is believed that more breakthroughs will be made in the future to help us better fight the virus.