Reporter : Su Guanmi / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/2/2/n12727150.htm / Translation, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
Image : The covid pandemic has not slowed down. Experts warned that Nipah virus has the risk of causing the next wave of pandemic. (Wikipedia public domain)
News (1)
Nipah virus has a high fatality rate, experts warn of the next pandemic threat
The global pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 (novel coronavirus, CCP virus, covi) has once again made people realize the terrible virus and the limited medical technology. But apart from covi, there are other deadly viruses, and there is no vaccine, such as Nipah virus. Experts warn that when people devote all their energy to the CCP virus, they must be alert to the possibility of pandemics such as Nipah virus.
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Experts warn everyone should still pay attention to the dangers of other viruses
The Access to Medicine Foundation, a non-profit organization, recently released an independent report stating that although the world's major pharmaceutical companies have stepped up their efforts to respond to the covid pandemic, they are almost unprepared for the next pandemic.
Chief Executive Officer Jayasree K Iyer cited Nipah virus as an example. He pointed out, “Nipah virus is another emerging infectious disease that is of great concern and may break out at any time. The next pandemic may be resistant to a medicinal infectious disease.” Earlier, he also said that if a Nipah virus outbreak occurs in China, there may be a risk of the next pandemic.
Nipah virus belongs to the Paramyxoviridae family and is a common infectious disease between humans and animals. It is mainly infected by direct contact with the excrement or body fluids of virus-infected pigs and fruit bats. There have been outbreaks in Malaysia, Singapore, Bangladesh and India in the past.
Symptoms of infection include fever, headache, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, coughing, dizziness and muscle aches. Symptoms such as atypical pneumonia and acute respiratory distress may also occur. Some cases may become encephalitis, or neurological diseases such as confusion, coma, convulsions and epilepsy may appear. Another 8%-15% of infection cases are mild or have no obvious symptoms.
According to the World Health Organization, the mortality rate of Nipah virus infection is as high as 40% to 75%, and about 8% of survivors are likely to relapse several months to several years after infection.
Image : Nipah virus is very similar to the coronavirus. It was originally transmitted by bats. (Shutterstock)
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Similar to novel coronavirus, Nipah virus has potential pandemic risk
So, is Nipah virus really possible to cause a pandemic? "Experts are worried about the pandemic because the virus is constantly mutating," said Zheng Yuanyu, a former chief physician of the Infectious Diseases Department of Taipei Veterans General Hospital and a physician at Shangwen Clinic.
He took the flu as an example, referring to the bird flu virus that used to spread in large numbers between animals and had limited human-to-human transmission. After the virus mutates without warning, it becomes a new type of influenza, which spreads widely among people and is very lethal to humans. The new flu has always been considered the number one enemy, and the probability of mutation in nature is much greater. As a result, this time it was not the flu virus, but the covi mutation, which caused a year-long crisis that has not stopped.
Therefore, epidemiologists worry that since covi mutates into different types of covi, other types of viruses such as Nipah virus may also mutate. Moreover, the Nipah virus is transmitted by bats in a similar way to covi. If a mutation occurs, the fatality rate may decrease, but it is easier to spread and will also cause more harm.
Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center spokesperson Zhuang Renxiang said that the virus has been evolving and is only a small step away from causing a pandemic, but this small step will take a long time to accumulate mutations. It is difficult to predict whether a pandemic of Nipah virus may occur in the future.
On the other hand, drug resistance also poses a serious risk. When new viruses or germs appear, the existing antibiotics and drugs may not be able to have sufficient effects. Yell said, “The time for developing alternatives is becoming more and more pressing.”
Fortunately, there is no news of Nipah virus mutation. Zheng Yuanyu reassures that the foundation is just a reminder that people cannot ignore other viruses, put all their energy on the CCP virus, and still leave a certain amount of research and development energy to avoid being caught off guard if an epidemic really occurs in the future.
Nipah virus currently only focuses on supportive treatment, and there is no vaccine yet. Including Nipah virus, the World Health Organization has listed 16 infectious diseases that will cause the greatest public health crisis, including covid, Ebola virus, Zika virus, Trakong virus, enterovirus, SARS, MERS, etc., but only 6 diseases have treatments.
If the Nipah virus is pandemic, the prevention method is the same as covid.
Nipah virus spreads from fruit bats, pigs, horses, and goats to humans, cats, and dogs, and there are three ways of transmission:
Human-to-Animal Infection: Most of the cases are infections caused by pig farmers who have direct contact with the mouth and nose secretions, body fluids or tissues of sick pigs. Other infected animals may also use this to spread the virus.
Food transmission: Eating fruits, dates, tree sap, etc. contaminated by fruit bat urine or saliva.
Human-to-human transmission: Human-to-human transmission of Nipah virus may occur through contact with the patient's respiratory secretions, saliva, or urine.
Image above : Washing hands frequently, wearing masks, and disinfecting are suitable for preventing Nipah virus. (Shutterstock)
The incubation period of Nipah virus is generally 4 to 14 days, but can be as long as 45 days. The current methods that people use to prevent covi, such as wearing masks, washing hands frequently, and disinfecting the environment, are also applicable to Nipah virus.
Wear a mask: Block possible contact with respiratory secretions and saliva.
Wash your hands frequently: Especially after touching animals, be sure to wash your hands with soap.
Disinfection: Nipah virus is a mantle virus, which can be killed with 75% alcohol and diluted chlorine bleach.
Food hygiene: Wash fruits or peel them before eating and avoid eating fruits that may be contaminated in endemic areas.
The general public should also avoid contact with fruit bats or pigs in endemic areas. If the profession is a veterinarian, a pig farmer, or a slaughterhouse worker, you must have adequate personal protective equipment, such as protective clothing, boots, gloves, goggles, face masks, etc.
Because dogs and cats may also be infected with Nipah virus, these animals are common beasts. Therefore, if the residents are within the scope of the epidemic area, Zheng Yuanyu suggested that the animals should be stocked separately to avoid being infected with the virus by wandering outside.
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