Forget Covid, Nipah looks like it is about to be unleashed

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A 12-year-old boy has died in India of Nipah, a rare virus that is far deadlier than COVID-19 — and one that health officials have long feared could start a global pandemic.

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The unidentified boy died Sunday at a hospital in Kerala, the southern state already battling the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the hard-hit country,

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He had already visited two other hospitals before his death, putting him in contact with potentially hundreds of people — with up to 11 showing potential symptoms

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Previous outbreaks of Nipah, or NiV, showed an estimated fatality rate of between 40% and 75%, according to the World Health Organization, making it far more deadly than the coronavirus.

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The infected often also suffer encephalitis, or swelling of the brain — and if they survive, often suffer persistent convulsions and even personality changes. The contagion can remain dormant in sufferers — who may get sick and possibly die from it “months and even years after exposure

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There is no vaccine, and the only treatment is supportive care to control complications and keep patients comfortable.

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