Nipah Virus: Symptoms, Prevention, and High Mortality Rate Explained

• Nipah virus is a serious, often fatal, infectious disease with a mortality rate of 40-75%.
• It spreads from animals to humans and human-to-human, with fruit bats being natural carriers.
• Infection occurs through contaminated fruits or raw date palm sap (via bat saliva/urine) and contact with bodily fluids of infected bats, pigs, or squirrels.
• Primary symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting, confusion, seizures, and shortness of breath, affecting the brain and lungs.
• There is no specific treatment; management is symptomatic, though some antiviral drugs show limited efficacy.

Why It Matters: Nipah virus is a highly fatal zoonotic disease requiring immediate medical attention for symptomatic relief.