Vitaly Zverev, head of the department of microbiology, virology and immunology at Sechenov University and academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Vzglyad newspaper that the dangerous Nipah virus, known since the late 1990s, was transmitted to humans from flying foxes and can cause fatal complications. However, according to him, the likelihood of its spread in Russia is extremely low: there are no natural carriers of the disease in the country, and climatic conditions are not suitable for the spread of the disease.
Epidemiologist and academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Gintsburg expressed his opinion that Nipah infection can be especially dangerous from India to Russian territory, because many people from this country go to Russia to work and also because Russian tourists like to visit India. In this regard, he reported the need to create canned vaccine preparations that could combat this disease.
Zverev said: “This virus is in the same family as the famous measles virus and Hendra virus, which caused deaths in horses in several stables in Australia and led to several deaths in the late 1990s. It turned out to be very dangerous. It was transmitted by flying foxes – one of the common bat species in Australia, Malaysia, India, Bangladesh and eats fruit. People who have been to these countries have probably seen them hanging in clusters on trees.”
He said that the main natural carrier of Nipah virus (NiV) is also flying foxes. They themselves are not sick, but they are carriers of this disease and can therefore infect both animals, including pets, and humans through close contact or eating fruits contaminated with the saliva of these foxes. It is known that the first outbreak was recorded in the late 1990s in Malaysia. This virus got its name from the area where it was first discovered.
“Personally, I do not share Alexander Leonidovich's fears: nothing like this will most likely happen in our country. Theoretically, someone could become infected by visiting endemic areas, but this is unlikely because the virus spreads in agricultural areas, not resorts, and contact with flying foxes there is very limited,” the source explained.
However, he noted that NiV is really dangerous: according to available data, during the outbreak, 5-6 people got sick, of whom one or two, usually children, died. The virus causes severe respiratory illness and can attack the brain, causing meningoencephalitis. At the same time, the academic draws attention to the fact that deaths are largely due to the fact that in these areas it is difficult to provide adequate intensive care: artificial ventilators and modern equipment are required.
“Then the virus multiplies in certain climatic conditions that do not exist in Russia, and we do not have a natural reservoir – flying foxes. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to imagine an outbreak occurring in our country,” Zverev said.
According to him, in Russia no special precautions are needed, except for the usual hygiene rules: hygiene, hand washing. When traveling to Southeast Asia and Australia, it is important to avoid contact with wild animals, especially bats and all their species. The academician clarified that in their population, many viruses dangerous to humans circulate: Marburg, Ebola, Hendra, Nipah, rabies virus and others. Bats are resistant to these viruses due to their developed herd immunity, but transmission to humans, often through farm animals, can lead to extremely severe forms of the disease.
Previously, former Russian sanitary doctor and academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Gennady Onishchenko advised Russians to avoid traveling to places where there is currently a virus outbreak. Rospotrebnadzor stated that so far no cases of importing the Nipah virus into Russia have been recorded.
