Two nurses in India have been confirmed to be infected with the Nipah virus, a rare disease that can cause fatal brain inflammation.
Nipah virus is mostly spread from bats to humans, and person-to-person transmission is rare.
While Nipah has never been detected in Australia, local authorities are monitoring the situation in India closely due to the virus’ high fatality rate.
Here’s what you need to know.
Nipah virus
Nipah is a dangerous infectious disease that naturally lives in fruit bats but can spread to other animals (especially pigs) and people.
First identified in 1998 during an outbreak among pig farmers in Malaysia, it’s named after the village where it was discovered. The disease quickly spread to Singapore.
Malaysian authorities killed more than one million pigs in an attempt to control the outbreak.
In humans, Nipah can cause a range of symptoms.
Early signs include fever, headache, fatigue, muscle pain, vomiting, cough, and sore throat, typically appearing four days to three weeks after infection.
Some people develop breathing problems or pneumonia. In severe cases, people develop encephalitis (brain inflammation), marked by drowsiness, confusion, and neck stiffness.
The fatality rate is very high, ranging from 40% to 75% depending on the outbreak.
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How it spreads
Nipah most often spreads through contact with infected animals (especially fruit bats and pigs) or their bodily fluids, or by eating fruit or fruit products contaminated by bat saliva, urine, or faeces.
Less commonly, it can spread person-to-person through close, prolonged contact with infected patients, or through infected patients’ bodily fluids.
While there’s currently no vaccine or specific treatment, public health experts say the risk of global spread remains low, as Nipah doesn’t transmit easily between people.
Current outbreak
The two confirmed cases in the Indian state of West Bengal are both 25-year-old nurses (one woman and one man) working at the same private hospital.
The two were placed in isolation in early January as a precaution. Following testing, they were confirmed to be infected with Nipah.
Despite India declaring the outbreak contained, multiple countries across Asia have implemented precautionary measures, with airport screening and health surveillance increased over the Lunar New Year travel period.
Australia
Health Minister Mark Butler told the Today Show on Friday the Government is monitoring the outbreak “very closely,” while also noting that Nipah is a “very rare virus”.
The Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC) said Nipah has never been detected in animals or people in Australia, but people traveling to affected areas should take precautions.
Butler said Australia’s borders would remain open and no travel protocols would be changed at this stage.
