An official at the World Health Organization‘s Health Emergencies Program said on Friday that the risk of the Nipah virus spreading is low.
She indicated that more than 190 people had contact with the two infected people in India, and none of them were confirmed to be infected with the disease or showed symptoms.
The two cases of infection in India prompted the authorities in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and other Asian countries to tighten screening procedures at airports this week to prevent the spread of infection.
“The risk of the virus spreading at the national, regional and global levels is considered low,” Anaïs Lagan said at a press conference in Geneva, adding that the two people did not travel while they were showing symptoms.
Nipah virus
She added that the two injured people were admitted to the hospital and are alive, and that one of them is showing signs of improvement.
Lagan said that the World Health Organization is waiting for India to announce the sequencing of the virus to evaluate any possible mutation, but added that “there are no specific signs of concern at this time.”
Nipah virus, which is carried by fruit bats and animals such as pigs, can cause fever and encephalitis. The death rate due to it ranges between 40 and 75 percent, and there is no treatment for it, and a number of vaccines are being developed but are still being tested.
The World Health Organization says the source of the infection is not yet fully known. Lagan said that there are hypotheses under study, such as infection from drinking palm juice or exposure to the virus in health care facilities. The Nipah virus is causing global panic… and a message of reassurance from the World Health Organization.
Nipah virus in Canada
An official at the World Health Organization’s Health Emergencies Program said on Friday that the risk of the Nipah virus spreading is low.
She indicated that more than 190 people had contact with the two infected people in India, and none of them were confirmed to be infected with the disease or showed symptoms.
The two cases of infection in India prompted the authorities in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and other Asian countries to tighten screening procedures at airports this week to prevent the spread of infection.
“The risk of the virus spreading at the national, regional and global levels is considered low,” Anaïs Lagan said at a press conference in Geneva, adding that the two people did not travel while they were showing symptoms.
She added that the two injured people were admitted to the hospital and are alive, and that one of them is showing signs of improvement.
Lagan said that the World Health Organization is waiting for India to announce the sequencing of the virus to evaluate any possible mutation, but added that “there are no specific signs of concern at this time.”
Nipah virus, which is carried by fruit bats and animals such as pigs, can cause fever and encephalitis. The death rate due to it ranges between 40 and 75 percent, and there is no treatment for it, and a number of vaccines are being developed but are still being tested.
The World Health Organization says the source of the infection is not yet fully known. Lagan said that there are hypotheses under study, such as infection from drinking palm juice or exposure to the virus in health care facilities.