Indian authorities are currently grappling with a rare Nipah virus outbreak, a deadly fever that can be transmitted from animals to humans. Here is an overview of what is known about the Nipah virus.
What is the Nipah virus?
Nipah virus first emerged in 1998 when it affected pig farmers in Malaysia, and it was named after the village where it was discovered. It is considered a disease of significant concern by the World Health Organization, ranking alongside Ebola, Zika, and COVID-19 due to its potential for global epidemics.
The virus typically spreads from animals to humans or through contaminated food. Person-to-person transmission is also possible. Fruit bats are the natural carriers of the virus, often implicated in outbreaks.
Symptoms include severe fever, vomiting, respiratory infections, seizures, and brain inflammation leading to a coma. Mortality rates range from 40% to 75% depending on public health responses, and there is no vaccine available.
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Previous Outbreaks
The first Nipah virus outbreak in Malaysia claimed over 100 lives and resulted in the culling of 1 million pigs to contain the virus. It also spread to Singapore, causing cases and one death among slaughterhouse workers who had contact with Malaysian pigs.
Subsequent outbreaks have primarily occurred in Bangladesh and India, with Bangladesh reporting over 100 deaths since 2001.
India experienced early outbreaks that claimed over 50 lives. Kerala, a southern Indian state, recently reported two Nipah deaths and four confirmed cases, prompting school closures and mass testing.
This is the fourth recorded Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala in five years, with the 2018 instance claiming 17 lives. Previous outbreaks were successfully contained through extensive testing and strict isolation measures.
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The Rising Concern: Are Animal-to-Human Viruses on the Upsurge?
Over the millennia, zoonotic diseases, those capable of leaping from animals to humans, have experienced a notable surge in prevalence within the last two to three decades.
This escalation can be partially attributed to the globalization of travel, hastening the spread of such diseases across borders.
Human expansion into wider swathes of the Earth’s terrain has been identified by experts as a contributing factor, disturbing ecosystems and heightening the likelihood of spontaneous viral mutations with the potential for human transmission.
The amplification of industrial farming practices elevates the risk of pathogen transmission among animals, while deforestation intensifies contact between wildlife, domesticated animals, and humans.
As diverse species interact more frequently, they become vectors for the transmission of their respective viruses, thereby fostering the emergence of novel diseases that may be transmissible to humans.
Furthermore, the impact of climate change is causing many animals to seek new habitats in pursuit of more habitable environments, as underscored by a 2022 study in the scientific journal Nature.
A 2018 estimation in the journal Science revealed a staggering 1.7 million unidentified viruses existing in mammals and birds, of which 540,000 to 850,000 possess the potential to infect humans, intensifying concerns about future outbreaks.
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