Nipah Virus: The virus turns the fruit it eats into a bomb. Fruit BAT

Nipah virus is mainly spread by Fruit Bat, they are also called Mega Bat, these bats consume only fruits and flowers and leave the virus on the fruit with their saliva, this virus spreads to them as soon as they come in contact with humans. Makes his victim.

Once again a case of Nipah virus has come to light in the country, after the death of two people in Kerala, the government is on alert mode and their close ones are being treated. Samples of the suspects have also been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for testing. Apart from this, an advisory has been issued asking people to be careful and come to the hospital immediately if symptoms appear.

Nipah is a zoonotic virus, which is spread by fruit bats, i.e. bats that eat fruits, these bats are vegetarians, which are called mega bats. By sitting on any fruit or eating it, Nipah virus enters the fruit and reaches humans. According to WHO, Nipah virus was first identified in 1998 in village Sungai Nipah in Malaysia, that is why this virus has been named Nipah.

Virus turns fruit into bomb

Mega bat i.e. fruit bat belongs to the Pteropodidae family of bats, which has about 197 species, the special thing is that most of their species are completely vegetarian, that is, they satisfy their hunger by eating fruits, according to experts, virus bats It occurs in the body itself, when they sit on a fruit or eat it, this virus infects the fruit through their saliva or tissues. When this fruit is kept with other fruits, it spreads the virus to them too. As soon as they come in contact with humans, the virus reaches them and gradually it gets transmitted.

This is how transmission occurs in humans

Nipah virus is zoonotic, it means a virus that spreads from animals to humans, it reaches humans by consuming infected fruits and then the infected person can make other humans its victims. The special thing is that this virus does not spread through air. It is transmitted through contact with fluids of infected persons like blood, urine, saliva etc.

Virus survives on fruits for a long time

Veterinary doctor NR Rawat told that Mega Bat is a species of bats which eats fruits, that is why it is also called fruit bat, because of the fruits it eats. It gets infected, when a person eats that fruit, the virus reaches that person. The special thing is that this bat virus released on the fruit can survive for a long time.

Heart can beat up to 700 times in a minute

Some species of mega bats are very big, weighing more than one and a half kilos, but not all bats are big, the bat which is said to be the cause of Nipah virus weighs about 50 grams, its face is like a dog. Looks like, which hang upside down on trees with the help of claws. There is no estimate of how much they can fly at one go, but they consume oxygen rapidly while flying. While flying fast, their heart can beat more than 700 times in a minute.

Reach the fruit by smell

Most species of mega bats fly in the evening and at night, because they are less visible in the brightness of the day, during this time they live in trees or caves, according to a report by Britannica, some species of fruit bats live in solitude. Some live in groups of thousands of bats, they reach them by the smell of fruits. Apart from fruits, they also eat flowers, leaves, twigs and bark of trees.

Why don't you get infected yourself?

Nipah virus is always present in bats, but they themselves never get infected by it. The reason for this is their antibodies. According to Professor Lubi, who has been researching on Nipah virus for the last 15 years, the antibodies of fruit bats are their shield. It remains dormant in bats, but when they eat the fruit, the virus reaches them. More cases are reported in Kerala because fruit bats are found in greater numbers in the southern states.