What is Nipah virus? What to know about the disease as India faces outbreak
Global News
Nipah virus has a death rate ranging from 45 to 75 per cent, and there is no vaccine or medical treatment available for animals or humans.
An outbreak of the Nipah virus in the Indian state of West Bengal is raising concern in parts of Asia, leading some airports to implement precautionary health screenings.
So far, five confirmed infections, including among doctors and nurses, have led to a quarantine of 100 people and the hospitalization of others at various medical facilities in Kolkata, according to the Times of India.
Three Thai airports that receive flights from West Bengal have started screening passengers on arrival. Nepal has also begun screening travellers at the Kathmandu airport and land border crossings with India, the BBC reported.
India’s health ministry says 196 people known to have been in contact with the infected individuals have tested negative, according to the outlet.
Nipah virus, which can be deadly, is transmitted through several pathways, including from animals to humans — primarily through fruit bats — via contaminated food, or directly between humans and can cause anything from asymptomatic infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.
Human‑to‑human transmission occurs through close contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person.
Although the Nipah virus has caused only a few known outbreaks in Asia, it infects a wide range of animals and causes severe disease and death in people, making it a public health concern, according to the World Health Organization.
Infected people generally develop flu-like symptoms such as fever, headaches, muscle pain, vomiting and a sore throat.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blasted his European allies Thursday for what he portrayed as the continent’s slow, fragmented and inadequate response to Russia’s invasion nearly four years ago and its continued international aggression. Addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Zelenskyy listed a litany of grievances and criticisms of Europe that he said have left Ukraine at...
U.S.-based Estée Lauder is the flagship brand and parent company of Clinique, MAC Cosmetics, Bobbi Brown, Jo Malone London, Aveda and Tom Ford among dozens of others.
Their feud took off after the U.S. billionaire called O'Leary an 'utter idiot' for brushing off Starlink on Ryanair planes, as well as an offer to purchase the budget airline.
New research out of Canada is pitching ideas for how to make the Winter Olympics and Paralympics more resilient to climate change.
Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, earlier admitted to killing Abe in July 2022 as the former prime minister was giving a campaign speech in the western city of Nara.
A yearlong push by the Trump administration to stop the fighting hasn’t yielded any breakthrough, despite the American president issuing a series of deadlines.
Universally known by his first name, Valentino was adored by generations of royals, first ladies and movie stars, from Jackie Kennedy Onassis to Julia Roberts.
Prince Harry tried to explain what it’s like living under what he called '24-hour surveillance' before the judge intervened and told him not to argue with the defence lawyer.
U.S. President Donald Trump's speech comes a day after world leaders and allies of the U.S. repudiated his expansionist threats to annex Greenland.
Trump has repeatedly refused to rule out military action to take over Greenland, a move that polls suggest a large majority of Americans do not support.
Prime Minister Mark Carney gave a forceful speech in Davos, Switzerland, on the 'new world order' and how middle powers like Canada can benefit by working together.
Trump said he would impose a 10 per cent import tax starting in February on goods from eight European nations because of their opposition to American control of Greenland.
Approximately 10,000 Danes marched outside Copenhagen City Hall in defiance of the U.S. president's pursuit of Greenland.