New Delhi: A new study conducted in India discovered an outbreak of the Nipah virus, which is one of the most dangerous viruses in the world, in two species of bats in the Indian state of Maharashtra.
An article published by the Indian “Journal of Infectious Diseases and Public Health” confirmed that experts from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) discovered since March 2020 a Virus RNA and antibodies in some samples taken from 80 bats of the species Rousettus leschenaultii and Pipistrellus Pipistrellus in a cave in Mahablishore District.
This is the first case of Rousettus leschenaultii bats infected with the Nipah virus, which raises concerns about the ability of the dangerous infection to spread inside and outside India, especially since new cases were discovered in the vicinity of large residential communities.
The experts pointed out that their new discovery requires additional studies. The World Health Organization has listed the Nipah virus among the 10 most dangerous viruses in the world, and there is still no medicine for it, and the death rate among those infected with it reaches between 40 and 75 percent. The virus was transmitted to humans through the saliva of infected animals, which they leave on fruits.
The first case of Nipah virus was recorded in India in 2001, and the country has since witnessed four rounds of infection outbreaks, the last two of which occurred in Kerala.
