The disease has already caused epidemics in several Asian countries and has a mortality rate of between 40% and 75%.
This Sunday, 21st, a 14-year-old teenager died in Kerala, in Indiaafter contracting the Nipah virus (NIV). The infection has a high mortality rate and is on the priority list of the World Health Organization (WHO) because of its potential to cause a public health emergency.
The disease has caused epidemics in several Asian countries over the years and has been the target of containment measures in India, but the risk of the disease spreading to other regions and reaching Brazil is low, according to experts interviewed by State.
Transmission and symptoms
The virus is zoonotic, meaning it can be transmitted from animals to humans. Natural hosts are bats of the family Pteropodidae, although other animals such as pigs and horses can also be infected.
Transmission to humans occurs mainly through consumption of fruit and juices contaminated with urine or saliva of infected bats: the host species are frugivores. Transmission from person to person is also possible in the case of close contact.
Initially, infected people experience fever, headache, muscle aches, vomiting, and sore throat. Some people may also suffer from atypical pneumonia and severe respiratory problems, including difficulty breathing.
These symptoms may be followed by dizziness, drowsiness, and impaired consciousness. In more severe cases, convulsions and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) occur, progressing to coma within 24-48 hours.
Most people recover completely, but about 20% experience neurological sequelae, such as seizure disorders and personality changes. A small number of patients experience relapses or develop late-onset encephalitis.
There are currently no specific drugs or vaccines and, according to WHO, the mortality rate for infection by the virus is estimated between 40% and 75%, varying depending on the epidemic, epidemiological surveillance and clinical management in the affected areas.
What are the chances of the virus reaching Brazil?
Livia Casseb, head of the arbovirology and hemorrhagic fevers section at the Evandro Chagas Institute (IEC), explains that Nipah requires close contact with the most severe cases, and therefore tends to spread less and more slowly. “The virus requires close contact with contaminated bodily secretions, such as blood, saliva, urine, or respiratory secretions of severely ill individuals,” she says.
Another factor that may hinder the spread of the disease is that, unlike Covid-19, it is not transmitted by asymptomatic people. In addition, the period in which an infected person can transmit the disease is short. “This means that casual transmission, for example in public settings or through superficial contact, is unlikely,” says the expert.
Helena Lage Ferreira, veterinarian and president of the Brazilian Society of Virology (SBV), also points out that bats of the Pteropodidae family They are not present in Brazil and their distribution is limited to some countries in Asia, Oceania and Africa. “Consequently, infections through contact with infected animals or their secretions are limited to regions where bats are present.”
Fernando Molento, a biosecurity analyst at the IEC, adds that countries where the virus is circulating have emergency protocols with rapid responses and support from the WHO to detect and control emerging epidemics.
“The possibility that the virus reaches Brazil is unlikely, but considering that it is a very widespread pathogen, we cannot rule it out,” summarizes Fernando Augusto Dias and Sanches, who search for the topic. In this case, experts say that Brazil has protocols and institutions prepared to deal with the disease.
Historical
Nipah was first identified in Malaysia in 1999 during an outbreak among pig farmers. At that time, more than 250 cases of febrile encephalitis, a classic form of the disease, were identified.
The second outbreak occurred in Bangladesh and India in 2001, associated with contact with food contaminated with bat urine and saliva. Since then, outbreaks have occurred almost annually in Bangladesh and periodically in eastern India, according to WHO.
In these subsequent outbreaks, the virus spread directly from human to human. From 2001 to 2008, for example, about 50% of reported cases in Bangladesh were caused by person-to-person transmission during care of infected patients.
As Sanches explains, outbreaks in these countries typically occur during the fruit-picking season. The death recorded this week, however, occurred outside of this period.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
