Nipah virus alert, areas at risk

The recent outbreak of the Nipah Virus in the Indian state of Kerala has prompted concern among local healthcare authorities, resulting in the deaths of two individuals. However, the potential for an international spread of the virus, and the subsequent emergence of a new pandemic, has also been highlighted by experts. In an interview with The Sun, Dr. Rebecca Dutch, head of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky, confirmed that Nipah outbreaks occur periodically and that the likelihood of further occurrences is high. The Nipah virus has been responsible for several outbreaks over the past decade, each of which has been successfully contained in Malaysia, Bangladesh, India, and Singapore. Currently, there is no evidence to suggest that Italy is at risk of an outbreak of the virus, given that the bat vector species is not present in the country and interhuman contagion is extremely rare.