April 10, 2018//-Ghana Veterinary Service is putting health officials on high alert after antibodies of a virus, known as Nipah virus, was detected in parts of Africa.
Wildlife Veterinary Specialist, Dr. Richard Suu-Ire, indicates the disease is predicted to potentially cause the next world pandemic.
“We’ve proved beyond doubt this virus is now in Africa. So our medical colleagues should have this in mind when there’s an outbreak of unknown disease, it can only not be Ebola virus disease but can also be Nipah virus disease,” he warned.
Dr. Suu-Ire made the revelation at a forum on ‘One World, One Health, One Medicine’ by the Ghana Veterinary Medical Students Association in Kumasi.
Dr. Richard Suu-Ire
The virus was first detected in 1998 in the Malaysian forest of Kampung Sungai Nipah, from which it got its name.
Fruit bats are reservoir carriers of Nipah virus and other highly fatal viruses including Ebola virus.
Large numbers were later spotted around orchards at pig farms in Northwest Malaysia.
Nipah virus was found in the saliva of bats in half-eaten fruit dropped and consumed by the pigs.
During the outbreak in Malaysia over one million pigs were killed, 800 pig farms were demolished and 36,000 farmers lost their jobs.
Myjoyonline
