What is Nipah virus infection?
[[File:Henipavirus structure.svg|thumb|Structure of Nipah virus as seen under a very powerful microscope]] '''Nipah virus disease''' is a [[disease]] caused by the nipah (NiV) [[virus]]. This virus belongs to the ''[[Paramyxoviridae]]'' family and causes severe disease in humans. Half of all patients die. The virus is spread by fruit-eating [[bats]]. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.who.int/csr/disease/nipah/en/|title=WHO - Nipah virus infection|website=WHO}}</ref> ==Symptoms== [[Symptom|Symptoms]] of Nipah virus disease start to appear within 3-14 days of [[Viral infection|infection]]. When people first get this disease, it looks like some other diseases. People get [[fever]], [[headache]], and throat pain, and they feel very tired. They have [[Trouble breathing|difficulty breathing]]. Later, they get much sicker. They feel [[Dizziness|dizzy]] and might become unconscious.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/nipah/index.html|title=Nipah Virus (NiV) - CDC|date=31 May 2018|website=www.cdc.gov}}</ref> There have been 582 known cases of Nipah virus infection in humans. About half of these patients died. ==Transmission== [[File:Pteropus vampyrus2.jpg|thumb|Nipah virus is transmitted by fruit-eating bats]] Fruit-eating bats can carry Nipah virus. Humans can get Nipah virus when they come in contact with items that are [[wikt:contaminated|contaminated]] by infected bats' [[Excretion|excreta]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/nipah/transmission/index.html|title=Transmission - Nipah Virus (NiV) - CDC|website=www.cdc.gov}}</ref> In [[Bangladesh]], people were got Nipah virus when they drank [[date palm]] toddy which was contaminated by bats. Infected bats can also spread Nipah virus to other animals, such as [[Pig|pigs]]. In [[Malaysia]] and [[Singapore]], people got Nipah virus from pigs that had come into contact with infected bats. Nipah virus can transmit from people to people also. It spreads through body fluids such as [[saliva]], [[blood]], and [[urine]]. For this reason, the caretakers of