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Health Ministry urges vigilance against nipah virus
Nipah virus, a rare but serious bat-borne virus that can cause asymptomatic infection in mild cases, and acute respiratory infection and fatal encephalitis in more severe cases, has been wreaking havoc in Southern Kerala, India.
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A health worker wearing protective gear moves a woman with symptoms of Nipah virus to an isolation ward on Sept. 16, 2023, at a government hospital in Kozhikode in the South Indian state of Kerala. (AFP/-)
T
he Health Ministry has called for port authorities and health facilities across Indonesia to remain vigilant as the country is on high alert for Nipah virus, which has recently caused a small but deadly outbreak in India.
Nipah virus, a rare but serious bat-borne virus that can cause asymptomatic infection in mild cases, and acute respiratory infection and fatal encephalitis in more severe cases, has been wreaking havoc in Southern Kerala, India.
Health authorities in the region have reported six cases of Nipah virus infection which have caused two deaths. This has put the case fatality rate (CFR) of Nipah virus in India at a staggering 33.3 percent.
The World Health Organization however, estimated that the CFR could reach up to 75 percent, as there is no treatment or vaccine available for either people or animals.
Indonesia has not reported any cases of Nipah virus infection, according to the Health Ministry, but it has not stopped health authorities from issuing a circular on Monday that detailed precautionary measures against the virus.
Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, the ministry’s director general for disease control and prevention, said that taking precautions would be crucial for Indonesia because of the country’s “geographic proximity” to countries where Nipah virus has previously been found, including India and Malaysia, where the virus is believed to have originated.
“There is always a risk of [the virus] spreading [into the country],” he said in a statement on Monday.
