10 facts about Nipah Virus you must know!

The Nipah Virus is making headlines everywhere because its death toll is on a rise and people don't know what exactly the virus is like. To get your facts straight, know the following 10 facts about the NiV.

ORIGIN OF THE NIPAH VIRUS: Nipah Virus is a newly emerging zoonosis that causes a severe disease in both animals and humans. This virus was first identified in Malaysia and Singapore in 1998.

IT IS ASSOCIATED WITH INFLAMMATION OF THE BRAIN: Nipah Virus is usually associated with inflammation of the brain due to which severe days of fever can often lead to a state of confusion, disorientation and even persistent drowsiness. If not taken care of, these symptoms can even cause a coma in a span of 24-48 hours.

COMMON SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS: Some common signs and symptoms of NiV are headache, fever, nausea, dizziness, drowsiness and mental issues such as confusion. These symptoms can last up to 7-10 days.

THE PRIMARY CARRIERS OF NiV: The primary carriers of NiV in humans are the respiratory secretions. The risk gets very high is the patient has respiratory symptoms, such as coughing and sneezing.

DO NOT CONSUME DATE PALM SAP: Do not consume date palm sap as the chances of it being contaminated are very high.

IT IS HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS IN PIGS: The NiV is highly contagious among pigs, spread by coughing.

NEVER COME IN CONTACT WITH INFECTED SALIVA: At any cost, one should not come in contact with the saliva of an infected person.

NiV MAY ALSO BE PRESENT IN THE INFECTED PERSON'S URINE: Be cautious if you are sharing a washroom with an infected person as some samples taken in Malaysia proved that NiV may also be present in the infected person's urine.

BATS ARE TURNING POISONOUS BECAUSE OF LOSS OF NATURAL HABITAT: As per the WHO, “There is strong evidence that emergence of bat-related viral infection communicable to humans and animals has been attributed to the loss of natural habitats of bats."

ITS VACCINE IS DEVELOPING: The vaccine for Nipah is a recombinant sub-unit formulation that has already been proven successful in cats.