What is the Nipah virus? Two confirmed cases spark airport screening across Asia
Updated . First published at
International biosecurity measures are tightening in Asian airports after the deadly Nipah virus was detected in India.
Two people in the country have contracted the illness, which has a high mortality rate.
So far, a range of nearly 200 of their contacts have been asymptomatic.
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Nipah virus is frequently fatal and can leave survivors with brain damage. NIAID
Nonetheless, Hong Kong has announced it will be screening all passengers from India for the time being, as the investigation into the cases continues.
So what is the Nipah virus that has everybody so worried? Here's what you need to know.
What is the Nipah virus?
The Nipah virus, first recorded in 1999 in Malaysia, is a virus natively found in bats that can be transferred to other animals and humans.
It can also be transferred to humans via food, including fruit.
It is also known to transfer from bats to pigs, and has caused wide agricultural damage in its occasional breakouts.
It's closely related to the Hendra virus, which is more widely-known in Australia.
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Nipah virus is typically spread by fruit bats. Adobe Stock
What happens to humans who get it?
The fatality rate in humans is estimated at 40 to 75 per cent, the World Health Organisation says.
That's a wide variation, but the WHO said it was due to the differences in medical resouces between stricken areas.
Symptoms in humans include fever, headache, dizziness, vomiting, reduced consciousness, and respiratory distress.
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There is no treatment or vaccine for the nipah virus. Getty
As well as acute, potentially deadly respiratory illness, the disease also kills through encephalitis, which can develop in as little as 24 hours in severe cases.
Survivors can also be left with brain damage.
Is there a cure?
There is no known treatment and no vaccine for the Nipah virus.
Researchers in Queensland recently announced in July last year they had detected the first ever antibody to work effectively against Nipah and Hendra.
The antibody is able to prevent the virus mutating, which was one of the chief reasons treatments failed against it.
But as of yet, that has not been approved for clinical use.
Where is the nipah virus found?
Not in Australia.
The Nipah virus is chiefly found in south-east Asian countries including Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Singapore, though signs of the virus in bats have also been found in Indonesia and as far flung as Ghana.
The Department of Agriculture has identified a risk that migrating fruit bats could bring the disease to Australia but so far the country is nipah-free.
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