Public health agencies and border officials are on high alert following an outbreak of a rare but potentially deadly virus in the Indian state of West Bengal, The Washington Post reported.
What happened?
Two cases of Nipah virus have been confirmed in India, according to a health ministry statement reviewed by The Washington Post on Tuesday.
Nipah virus outbreaks occur periodically in South and Southeast Asia, particularly in Bangladesh.
A November study in the Journal of Infection and Public Health described the virus as a “significant public health threat” and attributed the pathogen’s prevalence in Bangladesh to the consumption of raw date palm juice contaminated by fruit bats.
Nipah virus is a zoonotic disease transmitted from animals to humans, with bats and pigs being the most common vectors.
Worryingly, Nipah virus’ case fatality rate (the ratio of deaths to total cases) is estimated to be between 40% and “75% or higher,” according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
Contact tracing by the Indian Ministry of Health identified 196 people who may have been in close contact with the two patients, all of whom were asymptomatic and tested negative.
Why is this epidemic worrying?
As The Independent warns, the World Health Organization has deemed Nipah virus a “priority pathogen” on the grounds that an outbreak could “trigger an epidemic”.
The World Health Organization further said that according to the UK Health Security Service, there is neither a vaccine nor a known treatment for Nipah virus cases, and medical professionals are being relegated to “critical supportive care.”
An outbreak of Nipah virus could have devastating indirect effects, sickening livestock and “causing significant economic losses to farmers,” according to the World Health Organization.
In August, Inside Climate News reported that trials of a potential Nipah virus vaccine were expected to begin in Bangladesh, but warned that “just because the virus is rare now, doesn’t mean it always will be.”
The outlet cited a 2012 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on the trajectory of the Nipah virus.
In the third part of the study, the researchers used Nipah virus as an example to highlight the role that a warming world plays in the spread of vector-borne diseases.
As Inside Climate News points out, rising temperatures could expand the range of disease vectors like fruit bats and mosquitoes, increasing the incidence of once rare diseases.
What measures are being taken?
Although there is no known cure, local officials appear to be taking the Nipah virus outbreak seriously.
According to the Himalayan Times, Nepal Health Minister Dr. Prakash Budhathoki said: “We have especially strengthened surveillance at the border crossing in Kosi Province. We have also ordered health checks for people entering Nepal through other border crossings.”
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