What is Nipah virus? Here’s what you need to know

The World Health Organization says there are no vaccines for the Nipah virus, which spreads from animals to humans and has been detected in India.

Earlier this week, India’s health ministry confirmed that two cases of the Nipah virus had been detected since December and that all identified contacts had been quarantined and tested.

The ministry did not release details about the patients but said all 196 people who had been in contact with the infected cases had been traced and tested negative.

So what exactly is the virus, where is it found and does it have potential to do harm on Canada’s population?

When was the Nipah virus first discovered?

Nipah virus is a disease that was first discovered in 1998 on a pig farm in Malaysia. Isaac Bogoch, a Toronto-based infectious disease specialist, told CTVNews.ca on Thursday it was initially thought to be an outbreak of Japanese encephalitis, a well-known virus in that area that causes inflammation of the brain, but was discovered to be a new virus.

How is the Nipah virus spread?

The Nipah virus is zoonotic, which means it can spread from animals to humans, and vice versa. It can also spread between humans.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the virus in humans can be transmitted through direct contact with infected animals, like horses, pigs and bats, or by eating fruits or fruit products contaminated with infected fruit bats.

Bogoch said the virus can also be spread through intermediate hosts.

“Bats can infect pigs and people who work on farms can get infected,” he said. “Or bats can eat date palms and people who climb up palm trees and harvest the palm sugar can get infected that way, because they’re in contact with the bat secretions.“

What are the symptoms of the Nipah virus?

According to the WHO, the virus’ incubation period – the time from infection to an onset of symptoms – can range between three and 14 days. In some cases, incubation has been reported up to 45 days.

Reported symptoms include fever, headaches or confusion, difficulty breathing and cough. Chills, fatigue, drowsiness, dizziness, vomiting and diarrhea are other commonly reported symptoms.

In serious cases, an infected person can present neurological symptoms, which leads to brain swelling, and often death.

While most people who survive the virus manage to fully recover, long-term neurologic issues have been reported in about one in five recovered patients, according to the WHO.

The WHO also reports that the case fatality rate for the Nipah virus is estimated at 40 per cent to 75 per cent.

A Nipah virus infection may be asymptomatic for some people.

How is the Nipah virus treated?

There are currently no vaccines or drugs that treat those infected with the Nipah virus, Bogoch said, adding that treatment involves supportive care.

“People who are sick will go into an ICU,” he said. “They’ll manage their fluids and electrolytes ... if they need to have respiratory support, they’ll be provided with that, but it’s basically symptomatic management and supportive care until the virus runs its course.”

The WHO reports that several candidate products for the virus are under development.

How common is the Nipah virus?

While there have been regular reported outbreaks of the Nipah virus in Bangladesh, periodic reports in India, and once in the Philippines in 2014, Bogoch described the virus as “extremely rare.”

“Compared to something like influenza, (COVID-19), measles, even Ebola, it’s doesn’t seem to be as transmissible as those viruses,” he said.

With files from the Associated Press