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The Nipah virus, a bat-borne virus, has infected six people in Kerala, India, with two deaths. The virus has caused previous outbreaks in the region, and there are concerns about its potential for increased contagion. Nipah virus has a high fatality rate and can cause various symptoms. There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments available.
Nipah virus (green) can be deadly.Credit: National Institutes of Health/Science Photo Library
In the southern Indian state of Kerala, the bat-borne Nipah virus has infected six people — two of whom have died — since it emerged in late August. More than 700 people, including health-care workers, have been tested for infection over the past week. State authorities have closed some schools, offices and public-transport networks.
The Nipah outbreak is the fourth to hit Kerala in five years — the most recent one was in 2021. Although such outbreaks usually affect a relatively small geographical area, they can be deadly, and some scientists worry that increased spread among people could lead to the virus becoming more contagious. Nipah virus has a fatality rate between 40% and 75% depending on the strain, says Rajib Ausraful Islam, a veterinary physician who specializes in bat-borne pathogens at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, in Dhaka. “Each outbreak is a concern,” he says. “Every outbreak is giving the pathogen an opportunity to modify itself.”
The virus can cause fever, vomiting, respiratory issues and inflammation in the brain. It is carried mainly by fruit bats, but can also infect domestic animals such as pigs, along with humans. It spreads through contact with bodily fluids from infected animals or people. There are no approved vaccines or treatments,