Scientists from the National Institute of Virology of India reported the detection of the Nipah virus (NiV) in bats in the state of Maharashtra. A preprint of the article appeared in the Journal of Infections and Public Health.
The World Health Organization calls this virus one of the most dangerous in the world, in nature it is usually fixed in flying foxes and mice. It is specified that it can cause inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) or respiratory diseases.
A person can get infected with this virus if he eats fruits that have got saliva from a sick animal. To date, there is no medicine or vaccine for this disease, while the death rate reaches 40-75%.
“The repeated outbreaks of this virus, the high mortality rate, human-to-human transmission and the lack of effective vaccines or antiviral drugs are of serious concern in India. Many places of accumulation of bats have been found in areas where many people live, ” the article says.
It is known that the Nipah was first registered in the Indian state of West Bengal in 2001 and 2007. Since March 2020, scientists have examined samples of 80 mice of the species Rousettus leschenaultii and Pipistrellus Pipistrellus living in the cave of Mahabaleshwar, finding RNA and antibodies to the virus in them.
Earlier, India reported the first 20 cases of infection with a new variety of a local strain of coronavirus, called “delta plus”. To date, several deaths have been registered due to this mutation.