New designation of first-class infectious disease for the first time in five years...What kind of disease is Nipavirus?
May 28, 2025
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Grade 1 infectious diseases are the highest level among legal infectious diseases (grades 1 to 4), and must be reported immediately after the patient occurs. Currently, 17 species are designated, including Ebola virus disease, Lhasa fever, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a revision to the 「Notification of the Types of Infectious Diseases Designated by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention」 was announced on the 27th, and it will be designated in the second half of the year after reorganizing related regulations.
Nipavirus infection is a zoonotic infection that spreads between humans and humans after being transmitted to animals such as humans and pigs through infected fruit bats. Human-to-human transmission is known to occur through direct or fluid contact. Common symptoms of nipavirus infection include fever and headache on the first 3 to 14 days and signs of respiratory diseases such as cough, sore throat, and dyspnea. The stage of swelling of the brain (encephalitis) can be followed, and symptoms resulting from this can include drowsiness, disorientation, and mental confusion, and can quickly progress to a coma within 24-48 hours. There is no vaccine or treatment yet, and the fatality rate is high at 40 to 75%.
Since it was first identified in Malaysia in 1998, no patients with nipavirus infection have been reported in Korea so far, but it is judged to be a disease to be watched and the designation will be preemptively pursued.
It is necessary to avoid contact with animals such as bats and pigs when visiting major areas where Nipavirus infection occurs, to prohibit the intake of jujube palm sap in the outbreak area, and to comply with basic rules to prevent human infection.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
