Q : What is Nipah Virus ? A : Nipah virus was initially discovered when it caused an outbreak of brain fever among pig farmers in Malaysia. Q : Should I be worried ? A :  A little. As it is transmitted from person to person and there is no effective antiviral therapy for this infection . Q : Who is at high risk ? How is it transmitted ? A : 1. People working with pigs and consuming pigs. 2. Farmers who come in contact with bats. 3. Consuming Fruits which are already bitten by bat. 4. Contact with people who already have Nipah virus infection. Q : What are the early symptoms  ? A : The initial presentation is non-specific, characterized by the sudden onset of fever, headache, muscle pain , nausea and vomiting. Neck rigidity and photophobia are also  seen. The disease rapidly progresses, with deterioration in consciousness *leading to coma within five to seven days.* Q :How is it diagnosed ? A : The rdiagnosis is by ELISA which is currently  done at National institute of Virology, Pune. Q : How is it treated ? A : Supportive care is the mainstay of treatment and infected patients may require intensive care monitoring. *THERE IS NO APPROVED  SPECIFIC THERAPY FOR THIS INFECTION* . So prevention is the only cure ! Q : How do i prevent it ? A : 1. Avoid contact with pigs and pig handlers  . 2. Maintain personal hygeine and intensive hand washing practices 3. *Avoid consuming raw fruits,* Consume only well cooked, clean, home made food till the outbreak settles down. 4. Preferably use N95 mask while travelling or working in public places to avoid person to person transmission. 5. Be aware of the symptoms and report to the doctor immediately for early diagnosis and treatment.

An Ayurveda Perspective .... 1. What is Nipah Virus .. The suddenly changed world environment in few parts of globe has developing such new (previously not recognised by humans) organisms ...they are on highlight due to their exhibiting health issues on us.. previously it was chikungunya , dengue , H1 N1... the list will never end...as new environmental change...New (identified) organisms...and health issues raise in new way ... 2. Why such organisms affect to humans/ animals/ living beings during such imbalanced weather? This universe has a formula of cause and effect.. both are not existing without each other.. Eco cycle / seasonal pattern changed suddenly.. so the effect on living beings..like variation in their basic biological nonvoluntary functions like hunger, thirst, ... as season changes , biological functions too alter..but we need to observe those in body and should taken care as seasonal regime ( an Ayurveda way to be healthy in all seasons). If we are unable to do so, then our body itself creates such environment to catch up many infections like Nipah, chikungunya, dengue... or any external organisms to grow inside body once exposed to them. So our body tendency becomes so. Summer is suddenly changed to rainy..this is general pattern seen in all such viral/ epidemics outburst. 3. What is solution for such incidents ? A. Prevention : Need to Take care of our body environment by maintaining hunger, bowel movement, sleep, activity. Eating 3 times home made freshly prepared food, drinking boiled water along with food and avoiding junks, frequent munching, outside foods maintains hunger, thirst, bowel movement. adding good lipids to diet like ghee, butter, virgin oil / filtered oils helps to keep body toxin free. Early sleep, early get up aids to maintain the all functions of our body smoothly. Specifically for Nipah virus avoid eating fruits of unknown source, heavy nonveg eg pork, which are really not necessary to body during such weather. Avoid the infected people and place of outburst. Application of any edible oil to whole body maintains blood circulation, so maintains hunger etc biological functions too. B. Cure: As per the category of fever in Ayurveda it comes under Agantuja (External source induced) _ Abhishangaja (infectious ) fever. The treatment protocol is clear what to do for which type of infection. Always better to prevent , rather than searching a cure. If failed take a help of a doctor.

As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), Nipah Virus is a newly emerging zoonosis that causes a severe disease in both animals and humans. The natural host of the virus are fruit bats of the Pteropodidae Family, Pteropus genus. Direct contact with infected pigs, other infected animals or through contaminated fruits (half-eaten fruits left by fruit bats), and even direct contact with sick persons have been cited as the underlying cause of outbreaks. Nipah Virus is not an airborne transmission infection, it can only affect those who come in direct contact with contaminated bodies. The symptoms of Nipah Virus are: - Fever from 3-14 days of exposure associated with severe headache due to encephalitis(swelling of the brain) which lead to a state of confusion, disorientation, nausea, persistent drowsiness and fainting. - Choking, stomach pain, vomiting, fatigue and blurred vision could also be there. - There are many patients who show neurological, respiratory and pulmonary signs as well - These symptoms can lead to coma in 24-48hours. If any of the above symptoms are present you should visit the nearest hospital and get evaluated. Investigations: - Real time polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) from throat, nasal swabs, CSF, urine and blood should be done in the early stages of the disease. - ELISA Test -Immunohistochemistry of tissues Prevention: - Do not eat fruits that may have been bitten by bats. - Do not drink toddy that is brewed in open containers near palm trees. - Refrain from consuming date palm sap. - Do not drink unpasteurized fruit juices - Wash,peel and/or cook all fruit thoroughly before eating - Safeguard oneself after coming in contact with someone who has contracted the virus. It is important to maintain a distance from the patient, to sanitize and wash hands thoroughly. Treatment: - Treatment is limited to intensive supportive care