India is rushing to contain a virus that has claimed the life of a 12-year-old boy and is even more deadly than the COVID-19 – Nipah virus, which killed over 100 people in India.
The youngster was rushed to a hospital in southern Kerala recently with a fever and brain irritation. He was diagnosed with the Nipah virus and died Sunday after undergoing examinations.
Using contact tracing to prevent a broad epidemic, officials quarantine and hospitalizes 188 people.
The Nipah virus has the potential to cause the next pandemic, according to some experts.
“This is one of those viruses that we need to pay attention to,” said Jack Lednicky, a research professor at the University of Florida’s Environmental and Global Health department.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 40% to 75% of Nipah cases are fatal, whereas the COVID-19 fatality rate is around 2%.
Because of their huge size, fruit bats, often known as flying foxes, are the source of the Nipah virus. It may also be transmitted via contaminated food and person-to-person contact.
“There is no cure,” Lundevicky said. “They put you in the hospital, but there’s nothing more they can do for you.”
Nicky Denk said that the Nipah virus should not be a cause for concern in the United States since it has been discovered in Asia regions where fruit bats abound.
However, there’s always the chance that someone might introduce the virus into a new location. “The worry really is how people move about; you didn’t see strange pathogens traveling around when travel was more restricted,” he added. Lednicky believes that rather than reacting to a pandemic, the US should learn from COVID-19 and take appropriate action.