The current talks regarding the Nipah virus have been grabbing the attention over users on social media. Arabs on social media are expressing their fear of it. Meanwhile, China made an announcement about the emergence of this virus, which lead to some confusion. Although there has been some misleading information, we’re here to shed some truth about it!
This virus is 22 years old. It was first discovered in Malaysia and Singapore in 1999. Thus, this virus is not Chinese, according to Egypt Independent – unlike another virus we all know about. It is listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) along with another 15 diseases as illnesses that pose a great threat to human health. Perhaps the deadliest fact about it however, is that there is currently no licensed treatment available, with a mortality rate of 40 to 75%.
While it might have the potential to cause another global pandemic based on The Guardian, at the moment it has not spread globally. In the past, from 1998 to 2018, there have been some cases reported in Bangladesh, India, Singapore, and Malaysia. It is primarily transmitted either through direct contact with infected animals, or consuming food products, specifically fruits. These fruits, as seen in previous cases, were usually infected with bodily fluids such as saliva, urine, and bat droppings from fruit bats.
As of now, there are no confirmations or reports of a single case of the Nipah virus in the Middle East. Fingers crossed!