With the continued interest in the topic of "Nipah virus-NiV", here we offer tips for preventing the disease, as we review some of what was written about it during the past days.

We start with tips for preventing Nipah virus, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which says that in areas where Nipah virus outbreaks have occurred (Bangladesh, Malaysia, India, and Singapore), people should

1- Wash your hands regularly with soap and water.

2- Avoid contact with sick bats or pigs.

3- Avoid areas where bats are known to roam.

4- Avoid consuming "raw date palm sap".

5- Avoid consuming fruits that may be contaminated with bats.

6- Avoid contact with blood or body fluids of anyone known to have a nebulizer.

The centers added that other geographical locations may be at risk of future outbreaks, such as areas where "flying foxes" (Pteropus) live, and these bats are currently found in Cambodia, Indonesia, Madagascar, the Philippines and Thailand.

People who live in or visit these areas should consider taking the same precautions as those who live in areas where an outbreak has already occurred.

According to the US Centers, the Nipah virus was first detected in 1999 after outbreaks of the disease in pigs and people in Malaysia and Singapore.

This outbreak has resulted in nearly 300 human infections, more than 100 deaths, and more than one million pigs have been killed to help control the outbreak.

Although there have been no other known outbreaks of Nipah virus in Malaysia and Singapore since 1999, outbreaks have been reported nearly annually in some parts of Asia since then, mainly in Bangladesh and India.

The virus has been shown to spread from person to person.

This raises concerns about the potential for Nipah to cause a global pandemic.

The Nipah virus is a member of the family of Paramyxoviridae, the genus Henipavirus.

Nipah virus is a zoonotic virus.

Which means that it initially spreads between animals and humans.

The animal host of the Nipah virus is the "fruit bat" (Pteropus), also known as the flying fox.

Affected fruit bats can spread the disease to humans or other animals, such as pigs.

People can become infected if they have close contact with an infected animal or its bodily fluids (such as saliva or urine).

Once the virus spreads to people, it can also spread from person to person.

According to a report in Deutsche Welle, most human infections with the Nipah virus resulted from direct contact with sick pigs or their contaminated tissues.

The transmission is believed to have occurred through unsafe exposure to pig secretions, or by unsafe contact with a sick animal's tissue.

Outbreaks also occurred, and consumption of fruit or fruit products contaminated with the urine or saliva of fruit bats carrying the virus was the most likely source of infection.

A University of Exeter research study, prepared by Rebecca J.

White & Orly, published last year on Diseases of Animal Origin, stated that "the spread of (zoonotic) pathogens and the risk of their transmission is accelerating with changes in land use, such as deforestation, urbanization, agricultural intensification, increased contact and closeness between humans and animals."

According to infectious disease experts, Bangladesh alone witnessed 11 different outbreaks of Nipah disease from 2001 to 2011, as 196 people were discovered infected with the virus, of whom 150 died.

Detection methods

Blood tests and analyzes can help diagnose virus infection.

But there are other methods:

1- Doing a tissue microscopy.

2- "Polymerase chain reaction" (PCR) for detection of viral DNA.

3- The "ELISA" immunoassay.

Start investing

Under the heading "We need to start investing in antivirals for the next pandemic," Pete Schultz wrote, Monday, in the "Harvard Business Review", speaking about the need to identify threats to the next pandemic, and it is true that we cannot predict exactly which virus will be The next pandemic;

However, we can focus on known virus families with traits of concern, such as their ability to transmit significantly through respiratory droplets and aerosols.

He explained that among the types of viruses of greatest concern:

1- Coronaviruses such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome "SARS" and the Middle East respiratory syndrome "MERS".

2- "orthomyxoviruses" that cause influenza.

3- "Paramyxoviruses", including Nipah and Hendra.

And today, Wednesday, Robert Langrith wrote in "Bloomberg" under the heading "The Five Things to Follow Before the Next Pandemic", that in late 2019, every infectious disease expert knew that something like the new coronavirus would come sooner or later. Just as they know today, Covid-19 will not be the last epidemic.

Although the current situation is depressing;

However, the following situation does not have to be that bad.

Among the things suggested by the author is monitoring the pathogen, and he said that the viruses that are likely to infect the world in the future are highly virulent "filoviruses", including "Ebola" and "Marburg" viruses, and "flaviviruses". That are transmitted by mosquitoes, such as those that cause "Zika" and "dengue fever";

Parasiviruses transmitted by bats, such as Nipah and Hendra.

Another viral disease causing concern for Asia

On January 14, last year, the BBC published a report about the Nipah virus entitled "Another viral disease that causes concern to Asia," and said that every year the World Health Organization reviews a large list of pathogens, which can Cause a public health emergency;

To decide how to prioritize research and development funds, and focus on pathogens that pose the greatest threat to human health, that have the potential to turn into a pandemic, and have no vaccines.

The Nipah virus ranks 10th out of the top 10, and with a number of outbreaks already occurring in Asia, we likely haven't seen the last.

The report said that the Nipah virus has a long incubation period (which was reported to be 45 days, in one case); Which means there is a high chance an infected host who is unaware of their disease will spread it. Also, the Nipah virus can infect a wide range of animals; This increases the possibility of spreading it, and it can be caught either through direct contact or by eating contaminated food.