Medical Reporter, Daily Dawn, Dawn TV Report
Geneva: The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the risk of Nipah virus spreading from India is low and there is no need to impose travel or trade restrictions at this stage.
According to the WHO, two cases of the virus have been reported in India; however, the organization says that the possibility of further infection from them is low, and so far, there is no evidence of rapid human-to-human transmission of the virus.
The World Health Organization said that India has the capacity to deal with such epidemic situations and is in close contact with Indian health authorities in this regard. However, the organization also said that the possibility of further spread of the virus cannot be completely ruled out, as the virus is found in bat populations in India and neighboring Bangladesh.
Nipah virus is usually transmitted to humans by fruit bats and some animals, such as pigs. The virus can cause fever and inflammation of the brain, while its mortality rate is reported to be between 40 and 75 percent. There is currently no specific treatment for the disease, although research into vaccines is ongoing.
According to the WHO, the Nipah virus is not easily transmitted from person to person and is usually spread through prolonged and close contact, so the overall risk to the general population is low.
The most recent cases were reported in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, where two health workers were infected in late December and are currently undergoing treatment. Small-scale outbreaks of Nipah virus have occurred in India in the past, most notably in the state of Kerala, where several deaths have occurred since 2018.
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