Nipah virus: data on epidemiology, prospects for therapy and vaccine prevention

Since the discovery of the Nipah virus, its study has continued. Currently, three strains of it have been registered: Malaysian, Bangladeshi and Indian. Sporadic outbreaks of diseases caused by this virus have been observed among the population of South Asian countries, one of the most densely populated regions of the Earth. It is known that in the wild, bats are the reservoir of the Nipah virus, which can infect humans. At the same time, there is human-to-human transmission of the pathogen, which raises concerns about possible pandemic potential. The aim is to review the literature data on the epidemiology of infection caused by the Nipah virus. The review made it possible to characterize the epidemiological features of the territorial spread of the Nipah virus, the mechanisms and ways of its transmission, and to present the chronology of outbreak morbidity. It is determined that research is currently underway to find an etiotropic treatment and means of specific prevention.