The Ministry of Health and Population has urged to be vigilant against Nipah virus infection. The ministry has urged to be vigilant as this type of virus can spread in Nepal as well.
Ministry spokesperson Dr Krishna Prasad Poudel said that they have been urged to remain vigilant as the border with India is open and could spread in the nation as well. The Indian state of Kerala has been infected with the Nipah virus for the past few days.
According to him, no one has been found infected with the virus in Nepal so far. However, Nipah virus is a serious viral disease that is transmitted from animals to humans. The virus is found naturally in the skin of a species called 'foot bat'.
The Nipah virus is transmitted from animal to animal, from animal to human and from human to human. The virus can be transmitted through animals such as pigs, cows and oxen.
Similarly, Nipah virus can be transmitted through the use of fruits that come in contact with infected animals, even if they come in direct contact with the blood, feces and urine of the infected person.
Symptoms of the virus include fever, nausea, headache, muscle aches, difficulty breathing and tonsillitis. The disease is also more contagious.
In order to avoid Nipah virus, fruits should be washed thoroughly, vegetables should be cooked as much as possible, cattle sheds and farms should be kept clean, gloves and masks should be used when cutting and cooking meat, boiled water should be used, hands should be washed with soap and water from time to time.
According to ministry spokesman, the virus is at risk of killing 45 to 75 percent of people. The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed Nipah virus as one of the 10 deadliest diseases in the world.
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