The nipah virus is back in India, what are the symptoms and causes?

Recently in Asia, cases of the nipah virus have returned. This virus is known to be carried by animals such as bats. In India, there have been many victims due to this virus outbreak, especially in the Kerala region, South India. Many have become casualties so that some patients must be quarantined so that this virus does not spread. Actually, what is the nipah virus? Check out the explanation below.

What is the nipah virus?

Reporting from the CDC page, which is the disease control center in the United States, the nipah virus is a virus that can infect humans and cause severe disease. This virus is also known as a deadly infection carried by fruit bats.

This viral infection causes various effects, from the usual symptoms such as fever, respiratory infections, and even inflammation of the brain. This virus is contagious and deadly. About 80 percent of cases of this nipah virus infection end in death.

This virus occurs mostly in the Asian continent, and is considered a serious public health problem.

Nipah virus transmission

The nipah virus is transmitted in many ways. First, this virus can be passed from bats to pets and then to humans. The animals most susceptible to transmitting this virus are fruit-eating bats.

Bats that carry the nipah virus do not look sick, so it is very difficult to tell which bats carry this virus from those that do not. Bats then transmit this virus to other animals, such as pigs.

Pigs will get sick after being infected with the virus. Apart from pigs, other animals or livestock can also be transmitted this virus, for example, sheep. From these animals, humans who care for them can contract this deadly virus.

Second, this virus can also transmit directly from bats to humans directly if there is contact with bats.

Furthermore, the virus that is in the human body can be transmitted to other people. Person-to-person spread will occur through droplets or droplets of saliva, droplets of water from the nose, urine or blood. This virus is very easy to spread in one family or with people in the household.

Eating fruit contaminated with feces, urine, and saliva from bats infected with nipah can also transmit it to humans.

Transmission of nipah from the first infection until symptoms appear takes about 4-14 days. In some cases there can also be as much as 45 days of incubation. In other words, it could be that for a month you have put in nipah, but the symptoms have not appeared and the symptoms are not present.

What are the symptoms of the nipah virus?

The symptoms experienced are actually quite similar to common infectious conditions, such as:

• Fever
• The muscles ache
• Sore throat
• Throws up
• Dizzy
• There is an acute respiratory infection

This common symptom makes people with nipah infection treat it too late. It also makes a doctor's diagnosis easy to miss, as the symptoms do not indicate a particular feature that is easily detectable.

In severe cases, inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) can occur. Signs of inflammation of the brain in infection include persistent drowsiness, headache, confusion, loss of consciousness, and seizures that can last 24-48 hours. This condition can lead to coma to death.

Treatment of nipah infection

Until now there is no cure for this infection. Not yet found a specific antiviral to fight nipah virus infection in humans. There is also no specific vaccine to prevent infection with this virus.

Now experts say to focus more on prevention, and how to reduce the severity of symptoms that appear. For example, overcoming fever, vomiting, or respiratory infections, or inflammation of the brain that occurs.

Prevention that can be done

To reduce the risk of getting this viral infection, you should:

• Avoid eating fruit or other foods that have had direct contact with animals such as bats or pigs.
• Wash the fruit and peel the skin.
• If since the fruit is harvested you have found bite marks, don't consume it.
• Use gloves, masks and protective clothing when caring for sick animals or when slaughtering animals.
• Reduce direct contact with animals if there is an outbreak in your area.
• Keep the animal enclosure clean.
• Be aware of the presence of fruit-eating bats around you.
• Always wash your hands after contact with an animal, even when wearing gloves, and after visiting an infected person.