http://www.who.int/csr/disease/nipah/en/
Nipah virus (NiV) infection is a newly emerging zoonosis that causes severe disease in both animals and humans. The natural host of the virus are fruit bats of the Pteropodidae Family, Pteropus genus.
NiV was first identified during an outbreak of disease that took place in Kampung Sungai Nipah, Malaysia in 1998. On this occasion, pigs were the intermediate hosts. However, in subsequent NiV outbreaks, there were no intermediate hosts. In Bangladesh in 2004, humans became infected with NiV as a result of consuming date palm sap that had been contaminated by infected fruit bats. Human-to-human transmission has also been documented, including in a hospital setting in India.
NiV infection in humans has a range of clinical presentations, from asymptomatic infection to acute respiratory syndrome and fatal encephalitis. NiV is also capable of causing disease in pigs and other domestic animals. There is no vaccine for either humans or animals. The primary treatment for human cases is intensive supportive care.
I have heard rumors that it was a man made virus, genetically engineered from the animal form of the virus. I can’t verify, but it’s worth looking into.
Re: Human-to-human transmission has also been documented
Oh, just great.
I live east of Seattle, in the heart of Microsoft country.
Half my neighbors, plus their frequently visiting families, are from India.
No sign yet of any diseased bats or farm animals, thank goodness.