The doctor pointed out the main danger of the Nipah virus

Epidemiologist, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Gennady Onishchenko spoke about the main danger of the new Nipah virus, its symptoms and ways of protection.

In conversation with aif.ru On Monday, January 26, the expert noted that the virus is highly lethal and affects the nervous system, causing encephalitis. According to him, the disease has no specific treatment, and bats are most often the natural reservoir of the virus. Early symptoms include fever, headache and muscle pain, weakness, and with complications, drowsiness, confusion, and seizures.

The expert stressed that there is no need to panic: the virus currently has no pandemic potential. However, he recommended taking personal hygiene measures, washing hands, vegetables and fruits thoroughly, drinking only boiled or bottled water and avoiding contact with possible vectors of infection. He advised Russians to refrain from traveling to areas where cases of infection have been identified, if possible, and to consult a doctor at the first symptoms.

On this day, infectious disease specialist Vladimir Nikiforov reported that the Nipah virus found in India is not capable of causing an epidemic or pandemic due to its method of spread, the website clarifies. kp.ru . You can get infected with the virus only as a result of contact with the bats themselves or their secretions, writes RT. The specialist explained that infection is possible through contact with infected people, but the virus does not spread by airborne droplets, so there is no risk of mass infection, IA Regnum reports.

Also on January 26, therapist Nadezhda Chernyshova explained that the incubation period for the Nipah virus can last up to 45 days. The doctor noted that the first symptoms of the virus are similar to the flu or SARS — high fever, headache and weakness, which makes early diagnosis difficult. She stressed that there is no specific sign of the disease, therefore, if you have recently been in an endemic region, it is important to inform your doctor about it when symptoms appear, notes 360.ru .

On the same day, allergist-immunologist Vladimir Bolibok in an interview with Pravda.Ru explained that the Nipah virus was detected in India in the early 2000s and has since been considered endemic. The infection circulates among bats and pigs and can be transmitted to humans, as well as spread through human-to-human contact.

On January 25, Rospotrebnadzor reported that they were monitoring the situation with the spread of the Nipah virus in India. It is specified that at the moment no cases of import of this dangerous disease into the territory of Russia have been registered.

The Nipah virus can be transmitted to humans from animals, in particular from bats and pigs. Infection is also possible through infected food and through direct contact between people. Rospotrebnadzor appealed to Russian tourists traveling to India and Southeast Asian countries and urged them to avoid contact with sick animals, wash their hands thoroughly, use antiseptics, wash fruits and vegetables and drink only water from trusted sources, the National News Service reports.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.