Nipah virus

Nipah virus is a rare but very dangerous virus. It can cause severe brain inflammation (encephalitis) and respiratory illness, and it has a high death rate — often 40-75%, depending on the outbreak. India has seen several Nipah outbreaks, particularly in Kerala, usually linked to exposure to infected fruit bats or contaminated fruit, or close contact with an infected person.

How it spreads

• From fruit bats (the natural host) to humans — often through food contaminated with bat saliva or urine (e.g. raw date palm sap)
• From infected animals (especially pigs in some outbreaks) to humans
• From person to person — especially in healthcare settings or within families of infected people
• Through respiratory droplets and close contact

Symptoms

Symptoms usually start 4-14 days after exposure:

• Fever and headache
• Muscle aches
• Vomiting
• Sore throat, cough
• Drowsiness, confusion, altered consciousness
• Seizures
• Coma — can develop rapidly, within 24-48 hours of symptoms appearing

Treatment

There is no specific antiviral treatment or vaccine currently approved. Care is supportive — hospital admission, intensive care, treating symptoms. Early recognition and isolation are critical to prevent person-to-person spread.

Prevention — for outbreak-prone regions

• Avoid drinking raw date-palm sap (toddy); boiling destroys the virus
• Don't eat fruit that has visible bat bite-marks or has fallen on the ground
• Wash all fruit thoroughly before eating
• Avoid areas where bats roost, and don't handle sick or dead animals
• In healthcare settings: strict infection control, protective equipment, early isolation of suspected cases
• Family contacts of confirmed cases should monitor symptoms and quarantine as advised by local health officials

If you develop fever and confusion during a known Nipah outbreak, go to hospital immediately.