Metro Manila, Philippines – An infectious diseases specialist said the resurging zoonotic disease, Nipah virus, with rising cases in India, is easier to control than COVID-19.
In an interview with NewsWatch Plus on Wednesday, Jan. 28, Solante said while the virus could lead to deaths, cases may not approximate that of COVID-19 because of the mode of transmission.
“Nipah is mainly transmitted from infected animal to human, and sometimes human to human transmission,” he said.
“The reproduction number of this infection is very low which means that it may not cause a massive increase in cases unlike what we have experienced with COVID-19,” he added.
Solante said identifying potentially infected animals from fruit bats, the natural host of the virus, and coordinating with the animal industry will help track the disease.
“It is easy to control because when you know what are the animals that are potentially infected from the bat, that is the source of infection, then one of the strategies there is coordination with the animal industry for surveillance,” Solante added.
“It’s not only about human surveillance but also surveillance among animals like horses, pigs and even goats,” Solante added.
Nipah-ready
The health sector has armed itself in dealing with a potential outbreak since the pandemic, he said.
“We have been preparing for any outbreaks since the COVID-19 and I think that’s one of the priority preparations of the DOH that anticipates more outbreaks in the coming years” said Solante.
Solante said advancements in the health facilities has allowed the country to detect outbreaks of any “priority” pathogens.
“(The) expansion of the capacity to manage emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases is also part of that plan to accommodate in case there will be an outbreak not only for Nipah virus but also for dengue, influenza or others that we call priority pathogens,” said Solante.
He said health screening of arrivals from countries with confirmed cases and discouraging travel to these places will help prevent the virus from spreading.
Detecting the virus
The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) is the only laboratory capable of testing suspected Nipah cases, “being the national reference lab for emerging and re-emerging infectious disease,” said Solante.
He said RITM will follow the 2023 interim guidelines for collection, handling, processing, packaging, and transport of specimens should the DOH recognize a Nipah virus case in the country.
Solante also named the tertiary hospitals in Metro Manila that are capable of catering to Nipah cases, namely, San Lazaro Hospital and Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center both in Manila, and East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City
Other referral centers include Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu, Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod, and Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao.
“Each of these centers are already capacitated to cater for outbreaks,” said Solante. “And the other DOH hospitals that are LGU (local government unit)-managed will also follow the same preparedness plan.”
Solante said “there’s nothing to panic about this outbreak,” while advising the people to be cautious when consuming pig, goat, or horse meat.
“Practice infection control, handwashing, and appropriate masks especially when you are in crowded areas to prevent transmission of any infectious diseases,” he said.
