There have been no recorded cases of infection caused by the Nipah virus in Russia. Advisor to the director of scientific work of the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology Rospotrebnadzor, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Viktor Maleev spoke about this in a conversation with RIA Novosti.
According to experts, this virus cannot spread widely in the country. This is due to the lack of necessary environmental and epidemiological factors observed in outbreak sites in South and Southeast Asia.
In particular, fruit bats of the genus Pteropus play a major role in spreading Nipah. These animals live in the tropics and subtropics of Asia, Australia and Africa.
“Their natural range does not cover Russian territory,” Maleev emphasized.
However, the academician concluded that Rospotrebnadzor is controlling the situation and closely monitoring possible import cases.
Previously, media reported that in India, about 100 people were sent to home quarantine due to Nipah virus. The condition of one of the patients is considered critical.
However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has assessed the risk of further spread of the virus as low. As the organization explains, currently, human-to-human transmission of the disease has not been confirmed.
