Amid Nipah Virus outbreak in India, health ministry advises people not to panic

While the death toll from an outbreak of Nipah Virus in India’s southern state has become a global cause of concern, the health ministry advises people not to panic and maintain good health hygiene.

The ministry has a good surveillance system in place to detect and report such viruses should it infect people or animals. The World health Organisation (WHO) calls Nipah an emerging zoonotic virus, meaning it is transmitted from animals to humans.

Nipah Virus is known to infect both humans and animals, with fruit bats being natural hosts. Fruit bats are flying mammals that live in dense forests in Africa, Europe, Australia and Asia.

Nipah Virus cannot be transmitted through air; instead it is transmitted through contact with the infected bats, or other animals and humans.  However, the health ministry says the risk of bats transmitting it to animals and humans in Bhutan are very low.

Dr. Karma Lhazeen, the Director of Department of Public Health under health ministry said, “In the southern borders, we see a lot of fruit bats. But the risk for people is not as in India and Bangladesh. Here, we don’t have the date palms and habit of tapping its juice or make wine from it. In this way, the outbreak of virus happened.”

She also said: “Only thing we should be very careful is that bats are there and bats might contaminate your fruits through their urine and excreta.”

Once infected, a person develops flu-like symptoms of fever, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, dizziness, drowsiness and sore throat.

Currently, there are no drugs or vaccines available to specifically treat or prevent Nipah Virus infection. But a routine and through cleaning and disinfection of pig farms may be effective in animals.  Also, maintaining good health hygiene: washing hands and fruits before eating may reduce the risk of infection in people.

“Avoid taking fruits that are pecked by animals or destroyed or that are fallen on the ground. And avoid eating all those things. General hygiene like hand washing is a very good public health intervention that can not only help you stay away from virus but any cold cough, diarrheal diseases,” advised Dr. Karma Lhazeen.

Nipah Virus was first detected in Malaysia in 1999.

 

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