Egypt Weighs Possible Ways to Counter "Nipah"

On Monday, numbers of the parliamentary Medical Committee in Egypt discussed the possible ways to counter the new "Nipah" virus, according to PM Samar Salim.

She asserted to El Shorouk the importance of conducting more scientific research to weighs effective and protective measures against the new virus amid its outbreak in China.

Salim expressed that the committee is studying all available reports about the new virus, and each member can express his/her opinion in the light of his/her scientific background.

On the other hand, she reflected that the virus couldn't exist in Egypt due to the difference in environment between Egypt and China.

The Guardian published a new report warning the world of the new mysterious and fatal infectious virus in China.

The executive director of the Dutch Access to Medicine Foundation Jayasree KIyer explained, “an outbreak of the Nipah virus in China, with a fatality rate of up to 75%, is potentially the next big pandemic risk.”

“It is another emerging infectious disease that causes great concern,” she highlighted, adding, it could blow any moment. The next pandemic could be a drug-resistant infection.”

The new virus can cause severe respiratory problems and encephalitis. It can cause damages to the organ it infects by at least 40%.

It is identified as one of the 10 infectious diseases by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the greatest public health risk.

The report asserted that the pharmaceutical firms could be not fully ready for the outbreak of such diseases.

Nipah virus can be transmitted to humans from animals, or contaminated foods and can also be transmitted directly from human-to-human, according to WHO.