Open AccessNipah virus (NiV): a ‘new’ addition to the ever changing landscape of infections
Author(s) -
Sruthi James,
Indrajit Banerjee,
Brijesh Sathian,
Edwin van Teijlingen
Publication year - 2018
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2091-0800
DOI - 10.3126/nje.v8i2.23090
Subject(s) - medicine , zoonosis , public health , emerging infectious disease , virology , disease , population , environmental health , outbreak , pathology
Public Health professionals and researchers always need to be on their toes as the pool of viruses is forever changing. One recent example of this change is the Nipah virus (NiV). This infection is a type of zoonosis, emerging from the family of Paramyxoviridae, genus Henipavirus (RNA virus) and the natural host is Pteropus fruit bat. For Public Health surveillance and multidisciplinary approaches on investigations and therapy and development of vaccines are vital. As with all emerging viruses harmful to humans, an effective system for the detection of infectious diseases as well as for the identification for new causes, risk factors and characteristics in challenged settings is crucial to reduce the disease burden in the population.