No need to panic over Nipah virus – expert

An infectious disease expert on Monday allayed public fears over the Nipah virus, a zoonotic disease that is transmitted from animal to human through contaminated food or directly between people.

In a radio interview, Dr. Rontgene Solante, president of the Philippine College of Physicians, clarified that although a Nipah outbreak has been declared in Kerala, India, the public should not "panic" over the disease.

"There is no need to panic with this Nipah virus in one part of India. It is just that we need to monitor what is its extent," Solante told TeleRadyo Serbisyo.

He noted that the outbreak in India was a "controlled outbreak."

He also said that, unlike COVID-19, which hit the world nearly three years ago, symptomatic infections of the Nipah virus are "easy to track down."

According to Solante, people who contract Nipah virus may experience intense fever, severe headaches and excessive sleepiness.

The World Health Organization said that the first Nipah virus case was detected in 1999, during an outbreak among pig farmers in Malaysia.

"It was also recognized in Bangladesh in 2001, and nearly annual outbreaks have occurred in that country since. The disease has also been identified periodically in eastern India," it said.

The Department of Health earlier said that it has yet to detect a Nipah virus case in the country.

The agency, however, noted that the Philippines recorded a case of Henipah Virus Infection in 2014.