Check for symptoms, travellers from high-risk Nipah virus zones advised

 

Health workers transporting people infected with the Nipah virus to an isolation centre in Kerala, South India, on Sept 14. (AFP pic)

PETALING JAYA: The health ministry has advised travellers returning to Malaysia from countries categorised as high-risk Nipah virus zones to self-monitor for 14 days.

Health minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said they should look out for initial symptoms, which include fever, headaches, muscle pain, vomiting and sore throat.

She said the ministry is on the alert for Nipah virus outbreaks overseas and is prepared to work with the related agencies should there be any cases here.

Bernama reported that her statement was issued to update Malaysia’s status in view of prevalent social media reports about a current Nipah virus outbreak in South India.

Nipah is spread by pigs and bats coming into close contact with humans.

Zaliha confirmed that no Nipah cases have been detected in Malaysia since the last case was recorded on May 27, 1999.

She said after the 1998-1999 Nipah epidemic, the ministry had been working with the veterinary services department and the wildlife and national parks department (Perhilitan) to share surveillance information on the Nipah virus in wildlife and domestic animals.

“So far, none of the animal samples have tested positive for the Nipah virus. Malaysia was declared free of the virus in 2001 by the World Organisation for Animal Health,” she said in a statement.

Zaliha said Malaysia experienced its Nipah epidemic between September 1998 and May 1999 with 265 cases, including 105 fatalities, and since then monitoring and surveillance have been carried out regularly.

The Nipah virus is a zoonotic virus that is transmitted from animals to humans and can cause complications such as encephalitis and acute respiratory illness, with a 40-70% fatality rate.

Zaliha said flying foxes and fruit bats from the Pteropodidae family are the natural hosts for the Nipah virus and it is spread via unprotected exposure to animal secretions or through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected animals.

“It can also be transmitted through consumption of dates, coconuts, Nipah fruits and Nipah juice, which are contaminated by the bodily fluids of infected bats,” she said. - FMT