Officials issue urgent warning amid race to contain outbreak of disease with no known cure: 'Intensified surveillance at border points'
Yahoo • • health
Key Points:
- Two cases of the rare and potentially deadly Nipah virus have been confirmed in West Bengal, India, prompting heightened alert among public health agencies and border officials.
- Nipah virus, a zoonotic disease primarily transmitted by bats and pigs, has a high fatality rate estimated between 40% and over 75%, with no current vaccine or specific treatment available.
- The World Health Organization classifies Nipah as a "priority pathogen" due to its epidemic potential, and outbreaks can also cause significant economic damage by affecting livestock.
- Environmental factors such as climate change may increase the spread of the virus by expanding the habitat of its animal vectors, raising concerns about more frequent outbreaks in the future.
- In response, Indian and neighboring
