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Nipah Virus

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has invited Expressions of Interest (EoI) from eligible organisations, companies, and manufacturers for the development and production of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against Nipah viral disease.

About Nipah Virus

Nipah infection (NiV) is caused by the Nipah virus, an RNA virus that is closely related to the Hendra virus.
Nipah infection is a zoonotic disease (transmitted from animals to humans).
Host of the Virus: Fruit bat (Pteropus species), commonly known as flying fox.
Transmission:
- Direct contact with infected animals (esp. pigs)
- Contaminated food
- Close contact with an infected person
Symptoms: Acute respiratory illness, seizures, and encephalitis (swelling of the brain).
Incubation period (interval from infection to the onset of symptoms): 4 to 14 days.
Fatality Rate: It is estimated to be between 40% and 75%.
Treatment: No vaccine or treatment is available at present.
Outbreaks: The first outbreaks of the Nipah virus were reported from Malaysia (1998) and Singapore (1999).
- In India, West Bengal and Kerala have seen Nipah virus outbreaks.

An RNA virus is a virus that uses RNA (a molecule similar to DNA) as its genetic instruction manual. Unlike organisms that use stable DNA, these viruses rely on the less-stable RNA.
- RNA is a nucleic acid present in all living cells that has structural similarities to DNA. Nucleic acid is a naturally occurring chemical compound that acts as the primary information-carrying molecule in cells.
RNA viruses have a high mutation rate, high genetic diversity, and can rapidly replicate.
Common Examples of RNA Viruses: Influenza viruses, HIV, SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), measles virus, and Ebola virus.