Nipah Virus Disease: How It Spreads and How to Stay Safe

This is, this is for India and this is, you know, in use in India. There has been outbreak in Kolkata, West Bengal. So one thing you have to understand that the Nipah virus is dangerous, there is no cure for it.

So what happened is two of the nurses actually who saw an infected patient, they actually got infected by the virus and they are both admitted in ICU at present. So Nipah virus actually is a zoonotic virus, zoonotic means it can be transmitted from the other animals and but it can also spread from person to person. Actually, the one that spreads from the second element, there is a incubation period for almost two weeks and then person develops, you know, fever, headache and it can become serious too.

But like I said, there is no cure at present for this virus. But person to person is definitely more serious and it’s very dangerous. I mean, there is a high mortality and from this virus and there is no cure.

As I said, it can infect from the farm animals or even in the contaminated juice. Most of the people who get it from the animals actually do recover and but others can become very dangerous, fever and brain infection. But from person to person is definitely more serious.

So all the doctors are saying you should wear a very protective clothing when you’re dealing with the animals. And you should, you know, avoid, I mean bats. Bats are infamous for causing infection, spreading the infection.

So avoid bats. As I said, the two nurses are infected. They are both in serious condition.

One is, you know, they are both admitted in ICU. One is actually very, very serious. In Kolkata, Bengal, government is really now want to publicize this, want to people make aware and take all the precautions.

I think you should also watch this video and make yourself aware. And follow all the government recommendation for prevention and avoiding contact. Even we as doctors have never heard of this virus.

Before, but only thing is this virus is fatal. There is no cure for it. Hopefully, I mean, further research will, but that will be, I don’t know how long will it take.

So till all we can do is we can know about it and we can avoid where it is. You know, definitely do some research and take all the precautions or postpone our travel to those areas. It was, it did happen in 1999, but at that time it happened in Malaysia and Singapore.

And 100 people did die from this Nipah virus, N-I-P-A-S, Nipah virus. So, but, you know, they got it from the pigs. At that time, pigs were infected and the farmers got it from the pigs in Malaysia and Singapore.

At that time, Singapore, I mean, these governments destroyed like 1 million pigs. I mean, it was very, very painful for the farmers. But what to do to avoid the spread because this virus is so serious and there is no cure and you can die from it.

Just to make aware of people in India and please educate yourself and just see the newspapers and read news.