| How are Hendra virus disease and Nipah virus encephalitis treated? | |
The drug ribavirin has been shown to be effective against the viruses in vitro. Drug investigations to date have been inconclusive and the clinical usefulness of these drugs is uncertain.
| Who is at risk for disease from Hendra and Nipah viruses? | |
People who have contact with body fluids or excretions of horses infected with Hendra virus are at risk for Hendra virus disease. Nipah virus infection is associated with close contact with Nipah virus-infected pigs. Neither disease has spread from human to human.
| How are infections with Hendra and Nipah virus prevented? | |
These diseases can be prevented by avoiding animals that are known to be infected and using appropriate personal protective equipment devices when it is necessary to come into contact with potentially infected animals.
| What needs to be done to address the threat of Hendra and Nipah viruses? | |
The distribution of these agents in their natural reservoirs will eventually define the geographic range of the threat the viruses pose. However, these viruses are recent discoveries, and much work remains to be done on their geographic distribution and the reservoir species. The occurrence of the disease in humans has been associated only with infection of an intermediate species such as horses with Hendra and swine with Nipah virus. Early recognition of the disease in the intermediate animal host is probably the most crucial means of limiting future human cases.
