Factcheck: Can Nipah virus spread from human to human like COVID?

Schools, colleges and other educational institutes have been ordered to remain closed in Kerala's Kozhikode until September 24. The order comes in view of the outbreak of Nipah virus, which has claimed 2 lives and infected six people so far. A total of 1,080 people, who were in the contact list of the infected and deceased people, have been tested. A total of 297 people are on high-risk list, which means they are at a high risk of getting the infection; 122 among these are health care workers. This is the fourth outbreak of Nipah virus in the country since 2018.

There are atleast two strains of the Nipah virus: the Malaysia strain and the Bangladesh strain; the latter is linked to outbreaks in Bangladesh and India. While the Malaysia strain has no sign of human to human transmission, the Bangladesh strain can spread from one infected human to a healthy human.

Yes, once infected people can spread this to others. Human to human transmission of the contagious Nipah virus occurs when a health individual comes in direct contact with the infected person's body secretions, such as urine, blood, and nasal or respiratory droplets. This makes healthcare staff, caregivers or visitors at high risk of getting the infection.

​Nipah virus in Kerala: Symptoms and prevention tips you need to be aware of​

Nipah virus can spread from infected animals to humans, especially when the animals have eaten or drank foods contaminated by the fruit bats. Foods with bat urine, saliva and droppings can infect animals and humans. The 2014 Nipah outbreak in Philippines was found to be due to contact with horses or consumption of horse meat.

Bat droppings are considered to be good fertilisers for plants. Bat guano, or the accumulated excrement of bats, improves the texture of the soil. It improves the draining ability of the soil which makes it less dense and helps in plant growth. It is also rich in nitrogen. Many farmers use bat guano in their agricultural fields which makes them come into close contact with the virus.

The key to cut the chain of transmission of Nipah virus is to identify the symptoms in the infected individuals. As per experts, the Bangladesh strain is associated with muscle weakness, cough and breathing difficulties. In the 2018, the Nipah outbreak that happened in Kerala was associated with heart muscle dysfunction.

"The first way to prevent Nipah outbreaks is to minimise contact with bats. This means encouraging people to wash fruit and vegetables before consumption, to clean their hands after picking or preparing them and covering containers used to collect palm sap and boiling it before consumption. Where animals such as pigs have been identified as the source of infection, culling these animals has proved effective. The risk of human-to-human transmission can be reduced through regular hand washing, avoiding sharing food or bedding with infected individuals and wearing personal protective equipment when handling the corpses of people who have died from Nipah," a GAVI, vaccine alliance report available on its website says.

The GAVI, an alliance created in 2000 with the goal of creating equal access to new and underused vaccines for children living in the world’s poorest countries, says few vaccines for Nipah virus are under clinical trials; this includes an mRNA-based vaccine, one based on a protein from the closely related Hendra virus and another that uses a harmless vesicular stomatitis virus to deliver a Nipah virus protein.

​Nipah virus risk amplifies as 700 found on contact list, 77 in high-risk​