What is Nipah virus?

Nipah virus is an emerging infectious disease that broke out in Malaysia in 1999, and first affected domestic animals before humans. The organism that causes the virus is a Ribonucleic acid virus of the family Paramyxoviridae, genus Henipavirus. Some doctors have termed it as Nipah virus, while others call it zoonotic.

Nipah virus affects the brain. An infected person will have fever, weakness and lethargy. Nipah virus has a tendency to adapt or mutate, like the H1N1 virus. Fruit bats have been identified as the primary carriers of Nipah virus. The virus is usually transferred through fluids from the bat.

This happens when humans consume fruits or vegetables which are bitten by infected bats. Another possibility is that the virus could have been transferred to pet animals like cats or dogs who are in direct contact with humans. There is no vaccine for either humans or animals.