Nipah Virus

[Khun Paul]

We all need to read this, to be aware

A vaccine that could protect against the deadly Nipah virus in just three days has been developed by scientists.

All six monkeys given the experimental jab seven days before being exposed to a lethal dose of the disease survived. Two-thirds of primates given the shot three days in advance lived.

Like Covid, Nipah can spread through respiratory droplets. But it is far more deadly, killing up to three-quarters of people it infects.

It has been listed as one of the viruses most likely to cause the next pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO).

There is currently no vaccine approved for humans — but at least eight are currently being tested on animals, including one made by Oxford University.

However, most studies suggest immunity takes about a month to five weeks to kick in.

A rapid vaccine that may protect people from the deadly Nipah virus in just three days has been developed by scientists (pictured, an illustration of the individual viruses) © Provided by Daily Mail A rapid vaccine that may protect people from the deadly Nipah virus in just three days has been developed by scientists (pictured, an illustration of the individual viruses)
The new jab works like the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, using a weakened virus to deliver a chunk of Nipah's protein to the cells, where it cannot replicate.


It gives the body the chance to get a read of the virus so it can recognise and fight the real thing.

WHAT IS THE NIPAH VIRUS?
The Nipah virus (NiV) is a type of henipavirus, which are naturally held in fruit bats.

The virus can cause illness in pigs and humans, and can be spread to humans from animals, infected food and other people with the virus.

Symptoms may appear between five and 14 days after becoming infected, and can last up to two weeks.

They include: fever, headache, drowsiness, disorientation and mental confusion.

Symptoms may progress to a coma, and some patients have breathing problems.

The virus is thought to be fatal in up to 75 per cent of cases.

There is no vaccine or cure, but patients may receive supportive treatment to relieve symptoms.

Nipah virus infection can be prevented by avoiding exposure to sick pigs and bats in endemic areas and not drinking raw date palm sap.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The vaccine uses a virus from the same family as rabies that has been modified so it cannot cause symptoms.

It acts as a vehicle deliver the harmless protein to the cells.

Once inside, the cells display the protein on their surface, and the immune system recognises that it doesn’t belong there.

This triggers an immune response in which antibodies and T-cells are released, simulating what would happen in the event of a real infection.

The body then keeps a memory of this process so it knows how to deal with the real Nipah virus in the future.

University of Texas researchers trialled the jab on 12 monkeys and used six as a control group.

Half were given the vaccine a week before a deadly dose of Nipah and the other half were given it three days prior.

In the seven-day group, all vaccinated monkeys survived and showed no signs of illness, compared to a 100 per cent fatality rate in the control group.

Among those given the shot three days before, 67 per cent survived but most were symptomatic.

Writing in the paper, the researchers said: 'There are currently no NiV [Nipah virus] vaccines licensed for human use.

'While several preventive vaccines have shown promise in protecting animals against lethal NiV disease, most studies have assessed protection 1 month after vaccination.

'However, in order to contain and control outbreaks, vaccines that can rapidly confer protection in days rather than months are needed.'

Outbreaks of the Nipah virus are rare, with only around 700 cases reported since the virus was first discovered in Malaysia in 1999.

A 12-year-old boy died during an outbreak in India last year, where outbreaks are most common, along with Bangladesh.

It is also present in bats in Cambodia, Ghana, Indonesia, Madagascar, the Philippines and Thailand, suggesting there is potential for it to spread among people there.

The WHO says the virus is a public health concern because 'it infects a wide range of animals and causes severe disease and death in people'.

It lists Nipah alongside other deadly, threatening diseases such as Ebola, Lassa fever, Zika, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever and Rift Valley fever.

[Laan Yaa Mo]

Thanks for the information about this.

[FrazeeDK]

"avoid pigs and fruit bats.." I don't see any reference to human to human transmission.. At least not yet...

[pepesgrill]

monkeys don"t seem to come out well of it either

[Khun Paul]

If we remember it is not necessarily the Virus that is the problem it is after it is found, looked at the played with that a possible link to HUMANS is found or looked at in order to prepare the dominant species to be careful then it goes tits up and lo and behold we have another Virus circulating around and this one also being Airborne, once it has escaped who knows where and when it will pop up .
The problem is NOT the Virus per se, but the Humans who want to play with it . Like kids with toys ...lol

[Drunk Monkey]

WALOB .. 2

[noosard]

The sky is falling

[Khun Paul]

WALOB .. 2

Coming from our EXPERT on Viruses, that is a p[ositive. BTW when did you get you medical degree ?????. I do not have one but I have commonsense ..................!!

[pepesgrill]

yes the only thing crazier than the viruses are the
scientists playing with mother nature. maybe
necessary but these things " get out" far too often