If it passes easily from human to human, we are in for a big problem

-

A 14-year-old boy has died of the Nipah virus in southwest India. Indian authorities are taking measures to prevent an outbreak of this so-called "horror virus".

About 100 people who came into contact with the boy have been placed in isolation. People in the Indian state of Kerala are advised to wear mouth masks in public places and avoid contact with vulnerable people.

The 'horror virus' occurs in bats but is transmissible to humans. The virus can also be transmitted via pigs. Those who get infected are at high risk of death as there is no vaccine against the virus.

The virus is found in countries such as India, Malaysia, Singapore and Bangladesh. The virus, with pandemic characteristics, is being closely monitored by virologists around the world.

"Lately, we have been seeing people coughing more when they have Nipah. That could indicate that human-to-human transmission is possible. If Nipah can be easily transmitted from human to human, we are in for a big problem. Right now that is not the case, but that could change. That is why we are taking this so seriously," explains the Belgian virologist Marc Van Ranst in Het Nieuwsblad.

(SR and PP for Tagtik/Source: HLN - Nieuwsblad/Illustration picture: Matteo Jorgoson for Unsplash)

Comments

Post a Comment

You Can Also Read

Remembering the 1918 Influenza Pandemic

-
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the 1918 influenza (flu) pandemic that swept the globe in what is still one of the deadliest disease outbreaks in recorded history. It is estimated that about 500 million people or one-third of the world’s population became infected with this virus, and the number of deaths was estimated to be at least 50 million worldwide with about 675,000 occurring in the United States. The pandemic was so severe that from 1917 to 1918, life expectancy in the United States fell by about 12 years, to 36.6 years for men and 42.2 years for women. There were high death rates in previously healthy people, including those between the ages of 20 and 40 years old, which was unusual because flu typically hits the very young and the very old more than young adults. Photograph of an Influenza precaution sign at the Naval Aircraft Factory, Philadelphia, October 19, 1918. Reads “Spanish Influenza has endangered the prosecution of the war in Europe. There are ...
Read more

Man Utd sack Mourinho after poor start to the season

-
Image
The Red Devils have won just two of their last eight matches in all competitions and sit 11 points off fourth place in the Premier League Jose Mourinho has been sacked by  Manchester United  following their disappointing start to the season. The Red Devils currently sit sixth in the Premier League table but have already lost five times in 17 matches , leaving them 19 points behind leaders  Liverpool  and 11 off fourth-placed  Chelsea  in the fight for  Champions League  places. That follows a summer transfer window in which Mourinho routinely complained about a lack of signings, with the Portuguese unable to persuade the club's hierarchy to sign a new centre-back. Mourinho has continued to drop hints that he remains unhappy at that failure to spend big, and he now leaves after two-and-a-half years at the Old Trafford helm, with his final match in charge Sunday's 3-1 defeat to arch-rivals Liverpool. "Manchester United announces that ma...
Read more

Top 20 richest Nollywood actors and actresses in 2024

-
Image
The Nigerian film industry, known as Nollywood, is undoubtedly second-largest in the world in terms of output, turning out over 2,500 movies annually. The production contributes approximately $1.2 billion in revenue each year, attributed to the efforts of Nollywood actors and actresses who have brought Nigeria to global prominence. This industry has bestowed wealth upon numerous individuals, ushering forth billionaires and multimillionaires across Nigeria and the broader West African region. As of 2024, the most affluent figures in Nollywood primarily comprise its pioneering luminaries. There are many actors with immense talents who have gained huge popularity and earned a handsome net worth of millions in their career. Furthermore, the prosperity generated by Nollywood goes beyond its actors exclusively. Scriptwriters, producers, directors, costume designers, makeup artists, and various other professionals are experiencing significant success within this thriving industry. Below are t...
Read more

Text of Jonathan’ s New Year broadcast

-
NEW YEAR BROADCAST TO THE NATION BY GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN , GCFR , PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA , JANUARY 1, 2015. Dear Great People of our nation , 1 . I greet and felicitate with you all as we enter the New Year today. As we mark the beginning of this New Year , 2015 , a new nation is being born. A new nation is being born because of the foundations we have all laid , working together for the good and progress of our dear fatherland. 2 . I join you all in thanking God Almighty who has brought us this far , for continually bestowing His Grace upon us and for guiding our great nation safely through all the challenges of the past year . 3 . This year , as in the year past, I reaffirm my commitment to work to ensure a secure future for our dear country and the generations yet unborn . 4 . Last year , we celebrated our hundredth year of nationhood . The year brought us further progress , challenges and fresh opportunities . 5 . We have contended...
Read more

Osun governor Ademola Adeleke replaces sacked APC LG chairmen with civil servants

-
Image
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun has directed career heads of local government areas (LGAs) and area councils development areas (ACDAs) to take charge of their councils from the sacked council chairmen and councillors. The directive is contained in a statement issued by Adeleke’s spokesman, Mal. Olawale Rasheed, on Monday, November 28, 2022. The directive took immediate effect. “Governor Adeleke also directed the most senior career heads across all the local government areas to take charge of their councils,” the statement said. “This is in compliance with the judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo that sacked the council d local government chairmen and councillors.” On Friday, November 25, 2022, Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel of the Osogbo Division of the Federal High Court declared the local government election conducted by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission null and void. Ayo-Emmanuel delivered the judgment based on a PDP suit, asking the co...
Read more

Atiku condemned Senator Elisha Abbo assault act

-
* Call PDP to investigate and bring the senator to book. The People's Democratic Party presidential candidate in the 2019 general election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has expressed his dissatisfaction over the alleged assault video involving Sen. Elisha Abbo, PDP, Adamawa North. The presidential candidate condemned the act by the Senator from his state and his political party and call for the law to take it's course. He advised the senator to apologise public, and voluntarily go to the police. He also call on their party, PDP and Nigeria Police to take necessary disciplinary action. The presidential candidate say this on his Twitter handle @atiku that: "I’ve seen the alleged assault video involving Sen. Elisha Abbo. The video is sad, inexcusable. I know the Senator quite well. But the law is clear and leaders must lead by example. "I advise him to publicly apologize, voluntarily go to the police and show a good example expected of a young leader. I also call on our...
Read more

Unsealing of Christ's Reputed Tomb Turns Up New Revelations

-
Image
* For just 60 hours, researchers had the opportunity to examine the holiest site in Christianity. Here's what they found. Members of the conservation team lift a stone to clean and digitally scan before reinstalling it on the façade of the Edicule, the shrine that houses what is believed to be the tomb of Jesus Christ  Researchers have  continued their investigation  into the site where the body of Jesus Christ is traditionally believed to have been buried, and their preliminary findings appear to confirm that portions of the tomb are still present today, having survived centuries of damage, destruction, and reconstruction of the surrounding Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City. The most venerated site in the Christian world, the tomb today consists of a limestone shelf or burial bed that was hewn from the wall of a cave. Since at least 1555, and most likely centuries earlier, the burial bed has been covered in marble cladding, allegedly to prevent eage...
Read more