Infectious disease expert warns public against Nipah virus

Transcript

00:00 As if the COVID-19 pandemic were not enough,

00:02 one more animal transmitted or zoonotic virus

00:05 is on the spread, so beware.

00:07 The Nipah virus, as it's known, is born and carried

00:10 by flying foxes, or those huge fruit bats

00:13 that look like birds in the air.

00:15 Exposure to this rather infectious ailment

00:18 can lead to the swelling in the brain or encephalitis

00:20 and lead to death if ignored or left untreated.

00:24 Symptoms usually surface four days to a fortnight

00:26 after direct exposure to the virus.

00:29 Neither is there a cure nor a vaccine yet

00:31 for the disease that was discovered some 20 years back

00:34 among hog farmers in the Lion City.

00:37 Hence, a high mortality rate from a low of 50%

00:40 to a high of 70%.

00:42 Symptoms include and are almost identical

00:45 to those of the flu or influenza virus.

00:47 The public is reminded to regularly hand wash

00:50 as a stopper for spreading the disease

00:52 that could easily be transmitted manually

00:55 when inadvertently holding something

00:57 or someone carrying the virus.

00:59 (upbeat music)