Nipah scare: How it spreads, past outbreaks, what to watch out for

Nipah scare: How it spreads, past outbreaks, what to watch out for In the absence of a vaccine, the only way to reduce or prevent infection in people is by raising awareness of the risk factors and educating people about the measures they can take to reduce exposure to the Nipah virus. During later outbreaks in Bangladesh and India, the Nipah virus spread directly from human-to-human through close contact with people's secretions and excretions. Ribavirin, an antiviral, may have a role in reducing mortality among patients with encephalitis caused by Nipah virus disease," said Dr Deepak Verma Internal Medicine, Columbia Asia Hospital in Ghaziabad. Outbreaks of the Nipah virus in pigs and other domestic animals such as horses, goats, sheep, cats and dogs were first reported during the initial Malaysian outbreak in 1999.