Sindh’s health authorities have issued guidelines to deal with the Nipah virus in case of a possible outbreak, emphasizing that the only way to deal with the disease is precaution since there is no cure.
The advisory has also clarified that there is currently no outbreak in Pakistan but cases have been reported in India and Bangladesh as well as Malaysia and Singapore. The advisory has added that the current risk assessment of an outbreak in Pakistan is ‘low’.
The Nipah virus is zoonotic, which means it can spread from animals to humans, but can also be transferred through human-to-human contact.
It adds that direct contact with pigs or bats, consuming food infected by these animals, or contact with a person carrying the person can lead to an infection.
Symptoms
The advisory says that symptoms start appearing 4 to 14 days after an infection. They can include:
- Fever
- Headache
- Muscle pain
- Fatigue
- Nausea and vomiting
- Respiratory issues
- Confusion
- Seizures
- Coma
It further adds that anyone with a fever with shortness of breath, headache or altered mental status within the last three weeks can be considered a suspected case.
Prevention
The health department says that there is no treatment or vaccine for the virus and prevention is the best strategy to deal with it. The following health actions have been recommended
- Surveillance and early detection
- Isolation
- Contact tracing
- Public awareness
- Animal surveillance
- Screening at airports
