Indian health authorities are battling the spread of the Nipah virus, which has epidemic potential and no vaccine or cure.
AzEdu.az reports that "The Metro" publication provides information on this matter.
The article states that five cases of infection have been detected in the country. This week, a doctor, a nurse, and a healthcare worker have contracted the virus.
The newspaper reports that the nurse, who is currently in a coma, is believed to have contracted the infection while treating a patient with a severe respiratory illness.
The publication clarifies that government authorities have tested 180 people who had contact with infected individuals and quarantined 20 of them.
The Nipah virus spreads between animals and humans, and can also be transmitted from person to person. In India, many people are infected through bats. In humans, the virus can manifest as an asymptomatic infection or an acute respiratory illness. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, and sore throat, and in severe cases, brain inflammation can lead to a coma within two days.
It is noted that the virus has been classified by the World Health Organization as a priority pathogen (one with the potential to cause an epidemic).
