'Stay vigilant': NIH says risk of occurrence of Nipah virus 'low' in Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD -- The National Institute of Health (NIH) on Sunday declared that risk of occurrence of Nipah virus (NiV) in Pakistan is low, urging the authorities to step up vigilance at entry points across the country.

The virus, according to the World Health Organisation, was first recognised in 1999 during an outbreak among pig farmers in Malaysia.

It can be transmitted to humans from animals (such as pigs and bats) or contaminated food and can also be transmitted directly from human-to-human. Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are the natural host of Nipah virus.

There is no treatment or vaccine available for either people or animals. The primary treatment for humans is supportive care.

In recent months, cases of the Nipah virus have resurfaced in India's Kerala, prompting the state to shut down schools and test hundreds of residents.

According to an advisory issued by the NIH on October 7, six NiV cases were reported in the Indian state in September this year and the virus resulted in two deaths.

'Previously countries including Bangladesh, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and India have also reported confirmed cases of Nipah virus in human. Although Nipah virus has caused only a few known outbreaks in Asia, it infects a wide range of animals and causes severe disease and death in people, making it a public health concern,' it said.

Talking about Pakistan, the advisory said the overall risk of disease occurrence in the country was low and to date there was no report of documented animal or human cases of the infection.

'However, there are several factors which could allow NiV emergence in Pakistan like evidences of the presence of Pteropus giganteus species of bats, international travel and long border with India where NiV outbreak has been documented,' it said.

The NIH...