The Nipah virus, named after the Malaysian village where the first known patient lived, belongs to the same virus family as measles. While it is not as contagious, it is significantly more lethal. It is a zoonotic virus, meaning it can be transmitted from animals to humans, most often through direct contact with an infected pig or bat, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Furthermore, according to a report accessed by the Argentine News Agency, the consumption of fruits or fruit-derived products, such as raw date juice, contaminated with the urine or saliva of infected fruit bats, also contributes to its spread. It can also be transmitted directly from person to person, although transmission occurs through very close contact with an infected person. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the first signs of infection are nonspecific and include common flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, and sore throat. Some infections also cause respiratory symptoms like cough and abnormal chest X-rays, while symptoms can take between four and fourteen days to appear after infection, and asymptomatic cases are rare. The virus is classified by the CDC as a Biosafety Level 4 agent, the highest category, alongside pathogens like Ebola, and has the potential to be used as a bioterrorism agent. Although few outbreaks have been recorded, the Nipah virus is considered a public health threat due to its high mortality rate, potential for person-to-person transmission, ability to cause outbreaks, and the lack of approved vaccines or treatments. To diagnose it, tests are usually performed on a blood sample to detect and quantify specific proteins. As there is no vaccine or specific drug, doctors call for prevention, trying to reduce the risk of transmission from animals to humans and implementing control measures when working with infected individuals. Nipah outbreaks occur almost every year in parts of Asia, frequently in Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore, with Bangladesh recording the highest number of infections. This is because the fruit bats that transmit the virus are native to these regions. This virus typically spreads from December to May, during the bat breeding season and the date palm sap collection season. The virus has also been found in bats in Cambodia, Thailand, Madagascar, and Ghana.
