Sindh health dept issues high alert for Nipah virus

 Following Punjab province, the Sindh health department has issued a high alert in response to growing concerns about the outbreak of the Nipah virus in the province, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The virus is transmitted from animals to humans and is normally known to spread through bats or pigs. However, the virus can also be spread from person to person. The health department issued the alert after an outbreak in India.

Symptoms of the virus include coughing, difficulty in breathing and high fever including fits. The virus can also have neurological effects.

The alert issued by the health department said that one way the virus can spread is through fruits that were infected by bats. The department has advised citizens to carefully wash fruits before eating them.

 The virus has no vaccine and quick diagnosis or prevention are the only cures. The health department said that patients can slip into a coma within 3-4 days. The virus can also kill up to 74% of the people it infects.

The health department’s guidelines also include instructions to upload data to dashboards, keep patients isolated and get samples to laboratories for analysis on time

 With initial symptoms mirroring common ailments, such as cough, breathing difficulties, high fever, tremors, and mental deterioration, the Nipah virus has become a cause for concern in the region.

 According to the health department's advisory, Nipah is highly contagious, swiftly transferring from animals to humans and then from person to person.

 What makes Nipah particularly menacing is the absence of a vaccine, leaving prevention reliant on early detection and prompt treatment.