Highly lethal Nipah virus spreads across Asia: what is this infection and is there a threat to Ukraine

Countries in Southeast Asia are once again recording outbreaks of the Nipah virus – a dangerous infection with high mortality. The Chief Infectious Disease Specialist of Ukraine, Honored Doctor, Professor Olha Holubovska, and infectious disease doctor Ihor Markov told UNN journalist more about what this virus is, how it is transmitted, and whether its spread in Europe, particularly in Ukraine, should be feared.

A number of Asian countries are strengthening anti-epidemic measures due to new cases of Nipah virus infection. The epicenter of the outbreak was a private hospital in the Indian state of West Bengal, where at least five confirmed cases of infection were recorded. In light of this situation, Thailand and Taiwan have already reacted by introducing additional sanitary control. The elevation of the virus's status as a serious public health threat is currently being discussed.

At the same time, the Nipah virus is not new to medicine, says Professor Olha Holubovska. It has been studied for over 25 years, and the first large-scale outbreak was recorded in the late 1990s in Malaysia. Since then, cases of the disease have been periodically registered in Asian countries, including India. The infection attracts the attention of doctors due to its severe course and high mortality rate.

"This virus has been known since 1999, when the first major outbreak occurred in Malaysia. The disease was accompanied by a very high mortality rate of up to 85%. Since then, outbreaks of this infection have been recorded almost every year in Southeast Asian countries, India, and the Pacific region."

The source of such a virus is bats, says the professor. They do not get sick themselves, but can transmit the infection to animals, and from them, humans can become infected.

"The reservoir of the virus is bats. They do not get sick, but transmit the infection to domestic animals, most often pigs. Humans become infected through close contact with animals. Further, the virus can be transmitted from person to person, but only through contact, as in the case of the Ebola virus."

According to the expert, the Nipah virus is not transmitted by airborne droplets, like influenza or COVID-19. This is what currently prevents its mass spread.

"This virus does not have such pronounced transmission as influenza or coronavirus. If it were easily transmitted through the air, the residents of those regions would have died en masse long ago. The greatest risks are in farms and hospitals, where medical workers can be infected."

If we talk about the manifestations of the infection, they can be different: from asymptomatic course to severe lesions of the nervous system. By the way, it is precisely brain damage that causes death from such a disease. 

"Mild or even asymptomatic forms are possible, and it is precisely such people who are the most dangerous. But in severe cases, meningitis and meningoencephalitis develop. Even after recovery, a person can die due to complications; such cases have been described even 14 months after the onset of the disease."

In addition, the issue of the possible spread of the virus in Europe, particularly in Great Britain, is also currently in the focus of doctors' attention, because many people from the Asian region, where there are cases of infection, travel there. However, the expert emphasizes: there are currently no grounds to talk about an outbreak in Europe.

"I don't think an outbreak can happen in Great Britain, because the main source of the virus is bats that live in those regions. They transmit the virus to animals, and only then does a person get infected from an animal - when caring for, feeding, or petting animals, the virus can remain on hands or household items. And even if a single case is imported, there is no intensive human-to-human transmission."

Separate attention is also drawn to rumors about possible virus infection through fruits, particularly mangoes. Infectious disease doctor Ihor Markov says that in the country where the outbreak currently occurred, such a route of infection is theoretically possible.

"It doesn't matter if it's fruits or vegetables. We are talking about fruits that have been bitten by bats - the natural reservoir of the virus. After that, the fruit falls, and people could eat it, including mangoes, because it is a very tasty and popular fruit in those regions. In this case, infection from animal to human could also have occurred, and the chain of transmission breaks there."

And also, the doctor emphasizes that for countries outside the outbreak region, such cases do not pose a threat, because imported fruits go through a logistical path during which the virus does not survive. Therefore, the risk of infection through products in Ukraine is practically absent.

"This virus simply does not reach our regions in this form. Even if we talk theoretically, the route of transmission through fruits is possible only where there is a natural reservoir - bats. For Ukraine and Europe, this is not relevant and cannot be a source of an outbreak."

So, currently, according to experts, the Nipah virus does not pose an immediate threat to our country. At the same time, doctors emphasized that people traveling to Asia should be aware of the epidemic situation and be sure to inform doctors about recent trips in case of any deterioration in well-being.

Due to a new virus transmitted from bats and pigs, Asian countries are introducing enhanced sanitary control26.01.26, 15:39 • 4746 views