Volgograd Medics Warn of Deadly Nipah Virus from India

In Russia, as well as worldwide, a new large-scale pandemic is anticipated. An outbreak of the Nipah virus has been detected in a popular tourist province in India. Scientists warn: travelers to Southeast Asian countries and labor migrants could easily bring it to Volgograd, increasing the risk of mass spread of so-called Disease X, not to mention the now-familiar malaria, leishmaniasis, filariasis, or dengue fever.

«Damage Similar to Meningitis»

Recall that another outbreak of the Nipah virus disease occurred in Calcutta in late January, where a doctor, a nurse, and a medical facility employee were infected, with the nurse falling into a coma. She is suspected to have been infected while treating a patient with severe respiratory diseases. Authorities checked 180 people who had contact with the sick and placed 20 of them in quarantine.

Scientists claim that the Nipah virus can be transmitted from animals to humans and between humans. In India, it is most often contracted through contact with bats. In humans, it can be asymptomatic or cause acute respiratory diseases. Main symptoms include fever, headache and muscle pain, nausea, and sore throat. In severe cases, the infection can lead to brain inflammation and coma within two days.

— The Nipah virus is among the new and re-emerging diseases, also called emergent, — says Olga Chernyavskaya, head of the Department of Infectious Diseases with Epidemiology and Tropical Medicine at the Volgograd State Order of Honor Medical University. — The first cases were registered in 1999 in Malaysia, the virus itself was discovered in 2001. Mainly, its outbreaks have been recorded in Southeast Asian countries: Bangladesh, India, the Philippines. The source of infection is animals: bats, pigs. But one can also be infected from a sick person. Infection occurs through fecal-oral, foodborne routes (when consuming products contaminated with bat saliva or urine, there were cases from eating meat), waterborne, or contact-household. Aerosol mechanism (airborne transmission) and contact (through contact with sick animals or people) are also possible. In Russia, there have been no cases of this infection; it has not been imported.

According to Dr. Chernyavskaya, the disease can be asymptomatic or have clinical manifestations of varying severity. Like any fever, the disease is accompanied by an increase in temperature, there may be catarrhal symptoms: cough, sneezing, sore throat, as well as muscle pain, headache, weakness. Severe lesions of the central nervous system are often present.

— Damage to the central nervous system develops, similar to meningitis or meningoencephalitis, — says Olga Chernyavskaya. — Signs of this will be severe bursting headache, painful reaction to bright light, loud sounds, meningeal symptoms that a doctor can detect.

Moreover, according to Professor Chernyavskaya, travelers, tourists, and labor migrants from Southeast Asian countries bring with them not only infections that are found in Russia but also local diseases.

— These are parasitic diseases such as malaria, leishmaniasis, amebiasis, various tropical helminthiases. In recent years, cases of importation of some tropical viral diseases have increased, in particular dengue fever and others transmitted by arthropods. These can also be bacterial diseases, including dangerous ones like cholera, — explains Professor Chernyavskaya. — Diagnosis of these diseases varies: in some cases, the method of choice is microscopy of material from the patient, for example blood or feces, in others — serological testing, in others PCR diagnostics is used. In all cases, the doctor is helped to make a correct diagnosis, and therefore prescribe effective treatment, by the epidemiological history, that is, information about which country, and better which region of that country, the sick person traveled to.

The doctor warns: specific prophylaxis is not available in most cases, but non-specific measures can be quite effective.

— Protection depends on the disease we are dealing with. If it is about malaria, leishmaniasis, filariasis, or dengue fever, the main measure will be protection from insect bites, using repellents, mosquito nets, — says the professor. — Against malaria, by the way, chemoprophylaxis with special antiparasitic drugs is also applicable, but it must be prescribed by a doctor. From intestinal helminthiases, amebiasis, cholera, one can protect oneself by observing personal hygiene rules (thorough washing and disinfection of hands, avoiding street food prepared and sold under dubious conditions, protecting food from flies, consuming bottled water) — in short, the same measures used for the prevention of other intestinal infections are applicable.

«There Are Scarier Stories»

Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor at George Mason University (USA), Chief Researcher at the Medical-Genetic Research Center of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Ancha Baranova urges not to panic, stating that for Russians, the virus poses practically no danger.

«What is this Nipah virus and will we all die again soon? An unpleasant virus that has another relative — the Hendra virus, also tropical. Hence the group is called henipaviruses, — writes the professor in her Telegram channel. — Yes, lethality among the sick is high — 50–75%. But: the host of the virus is fruit-eating bats, so in Russia it definitely will not become endemic. Pigs that have been in contact with fruit-eating bats also get sick. And people, yes. After close contact with sick pigs. Or if you eat a banana that a sick bat didn»t finish eating.

From person to person, it can theoretically be transmitted through contact with biological fluids (mainly blood). As you can see, the global epidemic potential of the virus is small.«

Avoid Bats and Wash Hands

The Office of Rospotrebnadzor for the Volgograd Region, in turn, acknowledges the risk of importing the disease caused by the Nipah virus to Russia and Volgograd. The department points out that in recent years, outbreaks of this virus have been regularly noted not only in India but also registered in various Southeast Asian countries.

«The Nipah virus is zoonotic, meaning it is transmitted to humans from animals, such as bats or pigs. Transmission through contaminated food and from person to person is also possible, — warns the department. — Specialists of the Office of Rospotrebnadzor for the Volgograd Region monitor information about the complication of the epidemiological situation due to the outbreak of the Nipah virus in India. At the air checkpoint of the state border »Volgograd International Airport (Gumrak)«, the AIS »Perimeter« system is functioning, which allows in real time to identify citizens with signs of infectious diseases and prevent further spread of diseases.»

Rospotrebnadzor strongly recommends that tourists traveling to India and other Southeast Asian countries:

avoid contact with sick animals;

thoroughly wash hands with soap;

use antiseptic means;

wash fruits and vegetables before consumption;

avoid consuming water from unchecked sources.

In case of signs of illness, such as high fever, cough, severe headache, it is necessary to immediately consult a doctor.