Nipah Encephalitis – An Update
- Author:
Sherrini Bazir Ahmad
;
Chong Tin Tan
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Nipah Encephalitis;
Nipah Virus;
Hendra Virus;
Japanese Encephalitis
- From:
The Medical Journal of Malaysia
2014;69(Supplement A):103-111
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Between September 1998 to May 1999, Malaysia and
Singapore were hit by an outbreak of fatal encephalitis caused
by a novel virus from the paramyxovirus family. This virus was
subsequently named as Nipah virus, after the Sungei Nipah
village in Negeri Sembilan, where the virus was first isolated.
The means of transmission was thought to be from bats-topigs
and subsequently pigs-to-human. Since 2001, almost
yearly outbreak of Nipah encephalitis has been reported from
Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. These outbreaks were
characterized by direct bats-to-human, and human-to-human
spread of infection. Nipah virus shares many similar
characteristics to Hendra virus, first isolated in an outbreak of
respiratory illness involving horses in Australia in 1994.
Because of their homology, a new genus called Henipavirus
(Hendra + Nipah) was introduced. Henipavirus infection is a
human disease manifesting most often as acute encephalitis
(which may be relapsing or late-onset) or pneumonia, with a
high mortality rate. Pteropus bats act as reservoir for the virus,
which subsequently lead to human spread. Transmission may
be from consumption of food contaminated by bats secretion,
contact with infected animals, or human-to-human spread.
With wide geographical distribution of Pteropus bats,
Henipavirus infection has become an important emerging
human infection with worldwide implication.
- Full text:P020150729595162250601.pdf
