India rushes to contain deadly virus outbreak. The Nipah virus is classified by the World Health Organization as a priority pathogen due to its high epidemic potential and fatality rate. At present, there is no approved vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for the virus.

1725 points by MiamiPower 12 hours ago on reddit | 140 comments

[OP] MiamiPower | 12 hours ago

Akbar Novruz

Indian authorities are rushing to contain a Nipah virus outbreak after five cases were reported and nearly 100 people quarantined in the eastern state of West Bengal, Azernews reports via The Independent.

Among those infected are two nurses, a doctor, and a healthcare worker, raising concerns over hospital-based transmission. Health officials said some patients remain in critical condition, while others are showing signs of recovery.

The Nipah virus is classified by the World Health Organization as a priority pathogen due to its high epidemic potential and fatality rate. At present, there is no approved vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for the virus.

Early symptoms typically include high fever, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, and general weakness. In more severe cases, the infection can lead to acute encephalitis, respiratory failure, and coma. Survivors of severe illness may face long-term neurological complications.

Authorities have stepped up surveillance, contact tracing, and isolation protocols as efforts continue to prevent further spread of the virus in the region.

The new confirmed cases included a doctor, a nurse, and a health staff member, news wire agency Press Trust of India reported.

Nearly 100 people have been asked to quarantine in their homes after the first case came to light on Monday, the government officials said.

People with the latest infections have been admitted to the infectious diseases hospital in eastern Kolkata’s Beleghata, while the earlier ones are still admitted in the Intensive Care Unit at a private hospital.

UmbraAdam | 9 hours ago

Hey..., I have seen this one before!

ajninrekop | 7 hours ago

How could you have seen this? It's brand new.

Zarde312 | 7 hours ago

Yeah well, I saw it on a rerun.

pegothejerk | 5 hours ago

Your kids are gonna love it.

superfly355 | an hour ago

Better get used to these bars, kid

CrackinBones204 | 14 minutes ago

This is heavy

MudCorrect6427 | 7 hours ago

Its not brand new. Its been infecting humans since 1998

ajninrekop | 7 hours ago

Who the hell is John F. Kennedy?!

MudCorrect6427 | 7 hours ago

So fun fact English actually has the punctuation mark you were trying to create. Its called an interrobang. Isn't that cool‽

ajninrekop | 7 hours ago

Wow! You must be rich!

VerilyShelly | 6 hours ago

Oh, he's just teasing! No one has two television sets.

mateojohnson11 | 7 hours ago

I think that's cool. Thx for the info lol

Ihavedumbopinions | 7 hours ago

Wanna be Riley’s believe it or not ass

Memory_Less | 2 hours ago

Meanwhile ICE is banging at your door.

ColdRainyLogic | 4 hours ago

Better get used to these bars, kid

djserc | 8 hours ago

I understood that reference

JOJJOKY213456 | 4 hours ago

pls explain it to me

djserc | 4 hours ago

His comment is a back to the future reference and mine is captain America quote

ElasticFluffyMagnet | 7 hours ago

Don’t you also hate World Reruns. So boring

justdrowsin | 23 minutes ago

What are you looking at? Butthead?

alpacaMyToothbrush | 5 hours ago

Thankfully, there already appears to be a vaccine candidate under testing, and given the world wide build out in infrastructure needed to mass produce it, I would wouldn't expect pandemic level death tolls.

sixhoursneeze | 3 hours ago

Until the anti-vax crowd steps in

CompoteMelodic981 | 3 hours ago

Nipah spreads lesser than COVID, anecdotally.

Nipah is so terrible and happens so quickly, that people are not healthy enough to carry it around and spread it around widely.

The mortality rate is so high. And the symptoms are so bad.

Virus (2019 film) https://share.google/MMd3awZVvQtAtau44

SonOfMcGee | an hour ago

Sounds a lot like Ebola in that respect?

CompoteMelodic981 | an hour ago

I think so.

klamaire | 11 hours ago

WHO. Sure wish the US was still part of THAT!

RoxyLA95 | 10 hours ago

California became the first state to join the WHO.

klamaire | 8 hours ago

I read that. 5th largest economy in the world. Smart enough to ve in WHO.

Middle-Emu9329 | 7 hours ago

Pretty sure we are 4th now

crackersucker2 | 6 hours ago

My friend heard from another friend we'll be okay if we drink Raw Milk..

AcknowledgeUs | an hour ago

Read about raw milk outside of the context of RFK. You owe it to the cows, dammit.

DrCeeDub | 6 hours ago

Nah, RFK has got it under control. Just snort some coke and eat a rotten whale and you’ll be cured.

Oregongirl1018 | 7 minutes ago

Heroin, saturated fats, and whole milk. The top of the new and improved food pyramid! We're so lucky to be Americans!

roboticcheeseburger | 5 hours ago

Don’t worry China is a big member of the WHO. Coincidentally, recently they also are, uh, “investigating” NIPAH like viruses (investigating in the same sense as bat viruses) at their Virology/BioWarfare institutes.

https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1013235

AcknowledgeUs | an hour ago

What US? USA?? I don’t think that acronym belongs to the American people right now. Someone help us! They stole our flag! Yours too? We did?

OneTrueKingOhh | 9 hours ago

Why, this is not the first time nipah was reported in India. They've successfully contained it before.

PoorlyCutFries | 8 hours ago

Realize that the framing of these articles is very much playing on people's memories about the beginning of covid to drive engagement.

Most articles aren't emphasizing that fact (the titles anyway, most people including myself don't read articles)

This was news to me with your comment as someone whose first interaction with this story was this post

CerealTheLegend | 8 hours ago

Found the bot

kaievab | 8 hours ago

Ah shit, here we go again

Mokiesbie | 6 hours ago

No we don't. Nipah is way way worse than Covid, just a glance at it's wikipedia article it's mortality rate is between 40-75% due it targetting the brain (so americans at least don't have to worry about their president getting it). And even if you recover from it, it's a post complications are listed as seizures and inflammation of the brain. Covid affected the respiratory system and had a mortality rate of 1-4% before the vaccine, it is estimated to have infected 70% of the world population if Nipah does that with a 40-75% mortality rate it could kill between 2.25 billion to 4.21 billion people. a 1/4 to over half of the world population dead to this virus

The Bubonic Plague at it's height is estimated to have killed between 17% to 45% of the world population at the time

The deadliest pandemic in terms of body count in a fast amount of time is the the Spanish Flu which is estimated to have killed between 17-100 million people about 5-10% of the world population in 1919. If Nipah infects at the same amount as Covid than the streets would be littered with bodies, mass graves beyond our wildest nightmares would be filled within a week, entire countries populations could be devastated to levels that could take millenniums to recover back to. It would be the world's most horrible tragedy, one whose numbers would not even be rivaled by any war, attack, dictator, or any natural disteater combined.

pagerussell | 5 hours ago

Ok, it's highly fatal, but what's the R naught?

If it isn't also highly contagious, then it's not a big threat. Ebola is almost totally fatal but it doesn't spread fast enough to be a serious global threat.

AFriendlyBeagle | 4 hours ago

It's apparently not considered to be airborne, but can be spread through bodily fluids including short-range respiratory droplets.

It can spread through contaminated objects.

From 1998 to 2018, there were ~701 human cases.

It apparently always starts from exposure to infected animals - usually bats, sometimes pigs.

FirstReaction_Shock | 4 hours ago

Oh not the fucking bats again

Apprehensive_Safe469 | 5 hours ago

pagerussell | 2 hours ago

I could be wrong but I believe the r naught has to be above 1 to really be capable of spreading quickly. That means for every one person it infects y will infect at least one more. If it's below 1, then it peters out almost as a mathematical certainty.

Candymanshook | 5 hours ago

Yeah it’s not threatening at all outside of local populace for this reason.

Soft_Wash_7806 | 6 hours ago

Soo... Can we go back to social distancing? I really miss that. Also working from home.

pagerussell | 5 hours ago

If another COVID type pandemic hit it would cull a lot of red states, because they are fully and totally primed not to do anything about it.

daisy0723 | 4 hours ago

I live smack in the middle of tRump Land. I wore a mask every day of 2020. I was mocked and ridiculed. Customers were telling me about family members dying and still refusing to wear a damn mask.

Guess what? I didn't get it.

mrs_october13 | 4 hours ago

Please don't. There's millions of people who are pro-science and voted as such. Don't let your hatred of republicans become a hatred of an entire region of people.

pagerussell | 2 hours ago

I didn't say this was a good thing. I am not rooting for it.

But my empathy is also at an all time low, and I find it hard to feel for people who so demonstrably vote against their own wishes.

saul2015 | an hour ago

not just red states since so many Dem governors are worthless and would not be proactive against Trump

no Dem politician wants to even talk about covid anymore even though long covid is still a major issue and millions of people get it every year

climbinskyhigh | 4 hours ago

Say more.

sportsjorts | 5 hours ago

Don’t worry about it. ICE will kill you long before any virus does.

universallymade | 5 hours ago

It’s not highly contagious though

neurosciencecalc | 5 hours ago

"that could take millenniums to recover back to"

quick point of interest from a Google search:

"The world population's doubling time has drastically shortened, from centuries in the past to recent decades where it doubled in under 50 years (e.g., 1975 to 2023), but this rapid growth is slowing, with projections showing it will take longer to double again (e.g., 8 to 9 billion in 14 years) and eventually level off, ending the era of rapid doubling.

Key Doubling Milestones & Times:

  • 1 Billion: Around 1800 (took millennia).
  • 2 Billion: ~1927 (127 years).
  • 4 Billion: ~1974 (47 years).
  • 8 Billion: ~2022 (47 years from 4 billion)."

Mokiesbie | 5 hours ago

Completely fair, but I was thinking some places like Ireland whose population have still not recovered that of what it was from before the Irish potato famine/ Irish exodus due to the potato famine (about 8.5 million from before to 5.3 million today)

idekl | 5 hours ago

It depends on the transmissibility before symptoms arise and how long that period lasts. Covid had the perfect combination of non-lethality and transmissibility during incubation.

WarriorNeedFoodBadly | 6 hours ago

You forget a million things every day, make sure this is one of them.

bladex1234 | 10 hours ago

Hey I played this in Plague Inc.

404_void | 10 hours ago

The only reason Greenland makes sense.

theflyingratgirl | 8 hours ago

Next is Madagascar

becbagelbb | 6 hours ago

At least it’s not droplet or airborne, only direct contact with fluids

_Barry_Allen_ | 4 hours ago

At least it’s not droplet or airborne…. Yet

dispose135 | 4 hours ago

1.0 version brother

TolUC21 | 2 hours ago

Oh, so similar to ebola?

becbagelbb | 2 hours ago

Yep exactly

bit_chunky | 10 hours ago

Good thing we just left the WHO

Ill-Appointment-4818 | 4 hours ago

China can fund it now. And since when was the WHO ever good at doing its job?

person_person123 | 3 hours ago

The WHO eradicated smallpox, nearly eliminated polio, runs global outbreak surveillance, sets the medical standards countries rely on, and saves millions of lives every year.

But sure, if you want to volunteer and experience natural selection first hand, be my guest, just don't drag the rest of us down with you.

neuralek | 57 minutes ago

My dude, please remain dwelling in your celler as your post history really gives you zero validity to talk about issues that involve actually leaving your house.

Archany | 9 hours ago

Here we go again!

AnalogFeelGood | 5 hours ago

Covid will look like walk in the park, if this monstrosity spread.

Plus_Commercial3271 | 28 minutes ago

Except this isn’t an intentional lab leak

Destind99 | 8 hours ago

Talk about timing…Just as US pulled out of WHO. I do hope they can contain it🙏and find out quickly how it's spread, and start process of a vaccine (MRNA one would be quicker just like Covid one)

FahrenheitGhost | 6 hours ago

If it hits the U.S. MAGA families will be having "Nipah parties" and coughing on anyone they identify as a "Librul". Meanwhile at the federal level they'll be too busy ranting about Tylenol causing autism and recommending a bowl of lard each day for a well balanced diet.

crackersucker2 | 6 hours ago

And raw milk.

Glum-Sympathy3869 | 7 hours ago

Well, apparently, in America, we don’t care about deadly viruses, because our idiot president pulled us out of the WHO. Good job Orange👏😒

beermaker | 7 hours ago

My state just joined... Hopefully other governors will follow suit.

Lisshopops | 7 hours ago

It’s like Trump KNOWS a huge pandemic is going to break out before it does he did this with covid right before 2020 and he fired everyone on our pandemic relief committee

cherolero3998 | 6 hours ago

The real rulers of the world are telling him what playbook to follow

class-action-now | 10 hours ago

US here- we don’t give a shit what the World Health Organization says. Bring it over here! We will do no research or look at peer reviewed journals, studies or advisements.

hodorhasaids | 9 hours ago

Nothing some horse dewormer can't fix. In Dr Joe Rogan We Trust.

La-Becaque | 7 hours ago

Yeah! We'll just eat some more meat from our non-upside-down food-pyramid and everything will be fine.

Ser_Veritas | 9 hours ago

!remind me in 6 month

QuentinMagician | 10 hours ago

It seems to make evolutionary sense for viruses to hit the neurological since it is a critical part of our caring for ourselves. Affect the brain, like a fungus does with ants, and our behavior becomes more "transmissably able"

After all, if we go out when sick, more will get infected. And if we don't treat it, more than likely it will spread.

neuralek | 53 minutes ago

This was the case with Covid, too, they found that it targeted brain regions to adjust the environment to suit it.

99posse | 6 hours ago

> classified by the World Health Organization as a priority pathogen

The US is immune, as it left the WHO. Good timing!!!

AFewBerries | 8 hours ago

It doesn't spread that easily and requires close contact, we'll be fine. India gets outbreaks every so often and is good at containing it.

cherolero3998 | 6 hours ago

Oh by now you should know none of that matters 🫣

neuralek | 52 minutes ago

I went there on a business trip and the whole company drank water from the same glass. We work in automotive sensoring, so a schooled bunch.

drsoos1973 | 7 hours ago

At least we have Kennedy to save us from this fake virus. Luckily when there is a vaccine he will lead us with Dr. Oz into the realm of the unvaccinated!

Big_Magazine742 | 6 hours ago

Expect to see this all over Canada in about 15 seconds

bb1942 | 6 hours ago

I heard the US just left the World Health Organization.

ballskindrapes | 6 hours ago

Look, if enemies of america wanted to cause damage, they'd get some sick people over ro america.

We have about 1/3rd or more of the population who think vaccines are stupid.....

Accomplished-Fix9972 | 5 hours ago

Here we go again!

lothlorienelf | 5 hours ago

Just for reference after a quick google: Nipah virus R0 (avg number of people infected by 1 person) is ~0.5 vs COVID-19’s 2-2.5

cobo102 | 5 hours ago

Ground the flights now!

Vinsindabin | 4 hours ago

Is this a new DLC? Oh no....

Brian-not-Ryan | 4 hours ago

Can you fuckin give us a second please

Dry-Perspective-1114 | 3 hours ago

Im ready to move to a middle of nowhere bunker

Demonbaby_Wot | 2 hours ago

Sequels always worse than the 1st

quad_damage_orbb | 2 hours ago

Great. Just fucking great.

Accomplished_Tea8755 | 7 hours ago

Sooooooo more goverment checks?

scaleofjudgment | 11 hours ago

So if this breaks out after US left WHO, do those who remain alive blame Trump?

Excessed | 10 hours ago

Of course not, all a dem hoax

JMurdock77 | 10 hours ago

Horse paste! Get your horse paste!

02meepmeep | 10 hours ago

We’ll fix it with flashlight plugs and shots of bleach after swimming in a sewer overflow creek. No worries.

Esikiel | 7 hours ago

There is already a lot going on in the US that is simply not mentioned in the media anymore.

All the big viruses and annual animal issues are still a problem here, they just are no longer tracked, no longer funded, no longer mentioned.

Same for weather, and emergency preparedness.

We are on our own.

halaljew | 4 hours ago

Do you really believe that being or not being in some international umbrella of bureaucrats will do anything to change how a disease spreads? We still know how to track a disease, and we will probably be the ones to invent a vaccine just like with covid. Chill out, we will literally save your lives without your help. You are allowed to remain jealous.

StrawberryLeap | 7 hours ago

Two pandemics in one lifetime? Oh to live in uninteresting times

Ok-Bad1549 | 6 hours ago

its all planned to take our freedoms away. Agenda2030

TreeDollarFiddyCent | 5 hours ago

Easy now.

dispose135 | 4 hours ago

Mad cow, swine flu. H1

VastPresent7800 | an hour ago

two? i’ve been hearing about pandemics my entire life i think. bird flu, swine flu, mad cow, ebola

Warmpickle | 7 hours ago

Let’s Gooooo

QVRedit | 5 hours ago

The world would do well to respond to this, to develop a vaccine, and prevent yet another global pandemic…

Seaguard5 | 4 hours ago

Great.

So Covid V2.

All we need now starting off 2026.

How likely is this to become a COVID level threat? Any virologists in the room with us now?

gruhfuss | 4 hours ago

From episode 1, Nipah virus was the vector backbone that was used in Pluribus.

keg-smash | 2 hours ago

At least we have a US presidential administration that knows how to handle it. /s

Hyperion1144 | an hour ago

India is probably the major nation least capable of containing diseases.

StickItInTheBuns | 8 hours ago

What is the WHO? We here in the US don’t know what that is. /s

Kedaism | 5 hours ago

The Who? I love their song - Baba O'Riley.

OUT HERE IN THE FIELDS... I FARM FOR MY MEALS

1stUserEver | 4 hours ago

That org that takes your taxes to make meds cheaper in other countries. 958 million last year to be exact. just had to look it up. it not hard to look things up with google these days and find the hard facts.

Ukezilla_Rah | 8 hours ago

Conspiracy Time!

Thanks_Naitsir | 6 hours ago

Cross on the wall for the 38th 'Once in a lifetime event' since 10 years ago.

deloader | 6 hours ago

This happens every year in Malappuram

Grutenfreenooder | 43 minutes ago

Oh great Im sure we can count on India to handle this one

confusedpsycho12 | 41 minutes ago

Hopefully it stays in India

EmmyWeeeb | 9 hours ago

Why have people there not learned by now that that certain stuff they do contributes to stuff like this? Also this is awesome just as we pulled out of the WHO

cheesyandcrispy | 3 hours ago

It would be great if we could have more scientific comments and not just this weeks political take or zinger regarding US politics.

lateavatar | 9 hours ago

I think I just read that India is the #1 source of tourism to the US right now.

BodaciousBaeOG | 7 hours ago

Sounds like another Chinese virus to me. Names a dead giveaway lol

Acceptable-Second313 | 6 hours ago

Was found in Malaysia first in 1998.