Nipah virus infection

Nipah virus infection is a zoonotic viral disease by the Nipah virus. Results of human contraction range from asymptomatic infection to influenza-like illness or even fatal encephalitis. Initial signs and symptoms, if any, include fever, headache, myalgia, vomiting and signs of respiratory illness such as coughing, a sore throat and difficulty breathing. In severe cases patients may develop encephalitis, which can lead to dizziness, drowsiness, altered consciousness and seizures. Patients with these symptoms can fall into a coma within a day or two.

The Nipah virus (NiV) is a type of RNA virus in the genus Henipavirus, which normally circulates among fruit bats of the genus Pteropus. Spread typically requires direct contact with an infected source; it can both spread between people and from other animals to people. Diagnosis is based on symptoms and confirmed by laboratory testing.

Management is restricted to supportive care; as of 2024 there is neither vaccine nor specific treatment. Preventive measures include avoiding exposure to bats and infected animals such as pigs, and not drinking raw date palm sap. The case fatality rate is estimated between 40% and 75%.

The disease was first identified in 1998 by a team of researchers at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya during an outbreak in Malaysia. The majority of the patients in Malaysia diagnosed with the disease were referred to and treated at the University of Malaya Medical Centre. The disease is named after a village in Malaysia, Sungai Nipah. Pigs may also be infected, and millions were culled by Malaysian authorities in 1999 to successfully stop the spread of the disease.