Prominent scientists have sounded the alarm on the potential emergence of a deadly global pandemic that could ravage the world and be far more disastrous than Covid-19.
There are an estimated 1.6 million viruses circulating within animal and bird populations worldwide, and more than half of these possess the capability to infect humans.
A significant proportion of these viruses have already been actively doing so daily.
Amid the ongoing battle with the Covid-19 pandemic, which continues to persist with rising cases, public health experts are now shifting their focus towards anticipating and preparing for the next potential global health crisis.
Among the multitude of pathogens that have the potential to mutate and wreak havoc on human populations, scientists have identified the paramyxovirus group as a significant threat, describing it as “simmering in the background.”
The paramyxovirus group comprises a staggering 75 distinct viruses, including infamous diseases such as measles, mumps, and respiratory tract infections.
This group has garnered even greater attention as it was recently added to the US’ National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ watch list of pandemic pathogens.
Of particular concern within this group is the Nipah virus, which experts have singled out.
The Nipah virus is notorious for causing fatal encephalitis, and it boasts a mortality rate ranging from 40 per cent to an alarming 75 per cent, a stark contrast to the comparatively lower 1 per cent mortality rate associated with Covid-19 patients.
While paramyxoviruses are known to mutate more slowly than the flu and coronaviruses, virologists have raised a crucial concern, emphasising the rapid spread of these viruses among humans.
The World Health Organisation has already identified the Nipah virus and its close relatives as top-priority pathogens.
An outbreak of the deadly Nipah virus in was recorded in September in Kerala, India, resulting in two fatalities.
Authorities in the Kozhikode district established containment zones and closed schools, monitoring dozens of individuals who had contact with the infected cases.
The Nipah virus in that instance was understood to have originated from fruit bats.
The potential of a Nipah virus pandemic served as the inspiration for the 2011 blockbuster film “Contagion,” which featured Kate Winslet and Gwyneth Paltrow in a dystopian world gripped by a horrifying illness.
Dr Benhur Lee, a respected virologist from Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine, has pointed out the challenges in researching paramyxoviruses compared to extensively studied viruses like the flu.
He noted in an article by The Atlantic the difficulty in sequencing these viruses, primarily because most individuals infected with them do not survive, making the development of vaccines a formidable task.
Raina Plowright, a disease ecologist affiliated with Cornell University, has remarked that, although paramyxoviruses have caused no documented pandemic as of yet, the group appears poised to make the leap into human populations.
Such a scenario would be, as she described it, “absolutely catastrophic”, potentially dwarfing the death toll of Covid-19.
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Virologist Paul Duprex also highlighted rubulaviruses, a subfamily of the paramyxovirus group that includes mumps, as a cause for concern. He characterises measles as “literally the most transmissible human virus on the planet,” capable of airborne transmission and having found hosts in humans, apes, pigs, and dogs.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US have outlined the initial symptoms of a Nipah virus infection, which may include fever, headache, cough, sore throat, difficulty breathing, and vomiting. In more severe cases, symptoms such as disorientation, drowsiness, confusion, seizures, coma, and potentially fatal brain swelling (encephalitis) may follow.
– With AFP
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2023-11-05 01:59:31Z
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