The World Health Organization was cited as saying Nipah was an extremely dangerous virus for which no approved vaccine or specific treatment was yet available, as infections were spreading in India and causing concern in many other countries.
Cambodia's Health Ministry Communicable Disease Control Department, or CDC, said Nipah was a serious viral disease that could be fatal. The virus is carried by bats, including flying foxes, and can infect humans and pigs.
The report gives case-fatality rates of 40–70 percent. Person-to-person transmission can occur through direct contact with bodily fluids.
Nipah outbreaks occur almost every year in parts of South Asia, frequently in Bangladesh and India. Outbreaks have also occurred in Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore, notably the 1999 Malaysian outbreak, which the report says affected 300 people and killed 100.
Nipah transmission
People can become infected through direct contact with infected animals, such as bats, flying foxes or pigs, or by consuming food and drinks such as fruit or palm sap contaminated by infected animals.
Preventing and protecting against Nipah
People can reduce infection risk by regularly washing their hands with soap and water, avoiding contact with bats, flying foxes or sick pigs, and avoiding contact with the blood or bodily fluids of people with Nipah.
Nipah symptoms
Symptoms generally develop 3–14 days after infection, with fever, headache, cough, sore throat and breathing difficulty. Later, some may develop brain swelling or encephalitis, with severe symptoms including confusion, drowsiness and seizures. People with these symptoms may enter a coma within 24–48 hours.
At the time of reporting, Cambodia had never detected a human Nipah case, but its CDC was continuously monitoring the disease and preparing to respond to an outbreak.
By: Nget Pisant.
