Nipah Virus

Nipah virus is a biosafety level-4 zoonotic RNA virus transmitted primarily by fruit bats that causes severe respiratory infection and high-fatality encephalitis in humans.

• It highlights critical gaps in public health surveillance and rapid outbreak response capabilities for emerging high-fatality pathogens in India.
• Recurrent regional outbreaks emphasize the imperative of operationalizing a integrated One Health approach across medical, veterinary, and environmental departments.
• It demonstrates the effectiveness of state-level epidemiological interventions, particularly contact tracing, localized containment, and risk communication.

UPSC frames questions on Nipah virus under Science and Technology and Disaster Management, evaluating national preparedness against biological hazards. Questions focus on the structural challenges of managing zoonotic spillover events, biosafety infrastructure requirements, and institutional strategies for containment.

• Disaster and disaster management GS3

• COVID-19
• Dengue
• Malaria
• Monkeypox
• Zika Virus