Nipah, a rare and often deadly disease which is back in the news with a student in Kerala diagnosed with the infection, is a zoonotic virus which means it is transmitted from animals such as bats or pigs to humans, and can also spread through contaminated food and people-to-people contact. Signs and Symptoms: Human infections range from asymptomatic (no symptoms) to acute respiratory infection and fatal encephalitis, involving inflammation of the brain, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Infected people initially develop symptoms, including fever, headaches, myalgia (muscle pain), vomiting and sore throat.
This can be followed by dizziness, drowsiness, altered consciousness, and neurological signs that indicate acute encephalitis. The incubation period -- interval from infection to the onset of symptoms -- mostly ranges from four to 14 days. Most people who survive…
