Nipah virus and its outbreaks in tropical areas.

Abstract

Nipah virus is an emerging zoonosis with the potential to cause significant morbidity and mortality in humans. This virus escaped obscurity as a nameless animal virus and assured a place for itself in the annals of history as most fatal virus by killing a large number of people and bringing down billion dollar swine industry in Malaysia within shorts span of time. Nipah virus is an enveloped negative-strand RNA paramyxovirus. The natural reservoir for this virus is ‘flying fox’ fruit bats. The virus caused an outbreak of severe febrile encephalitis in humans with a high mortality rate. Nipah virus provides one of the most striking examples of an emerging virus and illustrates many of the pathways leading from a wildlife reservoir to human infections. This review will provides the background of the emergence of Nipah virus, symptoms, pathogenesis &pathology, prevention, control, and treatment.