09.13.04 :
New Findings on Nipah
Nipah virus has reemerged in the news
after two outbreaks in February killed 35 people in Bangladesh.
Although the total number of victims from this outbreak is
lower than the original outbreak that occurred in Malaysia
in 1998, the mortality rate was much higher. In 1998, the
mortality rate for those infected with Nipah virus was 40%;
in contrast, the recent outbreak in Bangladesh had a mortality
rate of 74%. Scientists have been unable to determine whether
the Bangladesh strain was more deadly than the Malaysian
strain, or whether poorer accessibility to healthcare was
responsible for the higher mortality rate.
The recent outbreak has also raised
new concerns due to the belief that the virus may have spread
from person to person. Previously, Nipah virus spread from
infected bats to humans via an intermediate host, such as
the pig. In the recent outbreak, however, many victims had
no direct contact with animals, and no infected domestic
animals were identified. If human to human transmission is
indeed proven, this would make Nipah virus even more desirable
to bioterrorists.
The CFSPH has developed a fact sheet
on Nipah virus. This file may be downloaded from this site
by right clicking on the link below and selecting "Save
Target As..."
 (PDF
270KB)
Sources: Scientific
American,
Emerging Infectious Disease
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