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Nipah, this emerging virus that scares

While the planet is still struggling to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, a new virus, nipah, is causing concern for a new epidemic. According to a recent report by the NGO Access to Medicine Foundation, founded by the British and Dutch governments, this virus – which is on the list of the ten most pathogenic agents of the World Health Organization (WHO) – raises fears of a new pandemic, if it spreads in a country as populated as China and goes beyond the borders of Asia. To date, no outbreak of the nipah virus has been reported.

“The first epidemic of the nipah virus was described in 1998, in pig farms in Malaysia”, explains to L’Orient-Le Jour Dr. Jacques Mokhbat, specialist in infectious diseases. “At the time, 276 people were infected, with a very high death rate approaching 39%,” he continues, stressing that the virus belongs to the family of paramyxoviruses, which are cousins ​​of influenza viruses. It is transmitted by fruit bats (which feed on fruit). “Humans contract it either after having been in direct contact with a contaminated animal, or by consuming food or juice contaminated by the urine or saliva of fruit bats,” he explains.

Among men, the virus is transmitted in the same way as influenza viruses or SARS-CoV-2, that is, through respiratory droplets and contact with a contaminated surface. “The period of transmissibility is three to fourteen days and can extend, in rare cases, up to 45 days, notes Dr. Mokhbat. In addition, the mortality rate is high, varying between 40% and 75% depending on the epidemics. ”

“A person infected with the nipah virus can present a simple flu-like syndrome with a cold, a fever, a headache, a sore throat and aches, but also more serious symptoms such as respiratory impairment, impaired concentration, drowsiness, loss of consciousness, convulsions and encephalitis – that is, severe brain damage, says Dr Mokhbat. Brain damage is the most decisive factor in mortality. ”

The diagnosis of the disease is made by a detailed medical examination concerning a possible contact with an infected animal, the ingestion of contaminated food or a potential contact with a sick person. A virus-specific PCR test performed on respiratory secretions and / or looking for antibodies in the blood helps to confirm the diagnosis. Unfortunately, there is no vaccine for nipah, let alone treatments. Management is purely symptomatic.

While the planet is still struggling to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, a new virus, nipah, is causing concern for a new epidemic. According to a recent report by the NGO Access to Medicine Foundation, founded by the British and Dutch governments, this virus – which is on the list of the ten most …

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