A state in southern India is taking measures to contain an outbreak of the Nipah virus after two people died from the rare and often deadly disease, shutting schools and testing hundreds to prevent its spread.
Nipah is a zoonotic virus transmitted from animals to humans, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Infection with the virus can cause mild to severe disease, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
It can also cause acute respiratory syndrome – where the lungs cannot get enough oxygen to the body – and fatal encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain.
There is no vaccine, and treatment is limited to supportive care.
Symptoms often begin with a headache and drowsiness but can quickly transform into a coma within a matter of days, the CDC says.
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