Title:10 dead as Nipah virus outbreak in south India spurs rush to hospitals

BENGALURU/KOCHI — A rare virus spread by fruit bats, which can cause flu-like symptoms and brain damage, has killed 10 people in southern India, health officials said on Tuesday, with at least nine more being treated.

健康官员周二表示，由水果蝙蝠传播的罕见的病毒可能会引起流感类症状和大脑损伤，导致印度南部的10人死亡，至少还有9人正在接受治疗。

Infectious disease outbreaks can be a challenge in India, the world's second most populous country, where infection control and surveillance systems are weak, leading to hundreds of deaths annually from diseases such as mosquito-borne dengue.

印度是世界上第二大人口大国，传染病的爆发可能是一个挑战，那里的感染控制和监测系统薄弱，每年导致数百人死于蚊子传播的登革热。

There is no vaccine for the Nipah virus, which is spread through body fluids and can cause encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. The usual treatment is to provide supportive care.

世界卫生组织（世卫组织）说，目前没有疫苗接种尼帕病毒，这种病毒通过体液传播，可能导致脑炎或脑发炎。

The first death in the outbreak in Kerala took place on Friday, the state's health minister, K.K. Shailaja, said.

沙伊拉贾说，喀拉拉拉爆发的第一次死亡发生在星期五。

"This is a new situation for us. We have no prior experience in dealing with the Nipah virus,"  she said.  "We are hopeful we can put a stop to the outbreak."

“这对于我们来说是一个新情况，我们在处理Nipah病毒方面没有经验，”她说，“我们希望我们能够制止这种疾病的爆发。”

Of 18 people screened for the virus, 12 proved positive, Shailaja told a news conference, adding that 10 of the sufferers had died and the other two were being closely monitored.

在18名艾滋病毒感染者中，12人已被证明是正面的，Shailaja在新闻发布会上说，10名患者已经死亡，另外2人正在受到密切监测。

The Indian government dispatched a team of officials from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to investigate the outbreak, it said in a statement.

印度政府在一份声明中说，印度政府派遣了一个由国家疾病控制中心（NCDC）官员组成的小组，对疾病爆发进行调查。

"Since all the contacts are under observation and steps to avoid exposure through animal vectors have been taken, there is no reason for people to panic,"  it added.

"由于所有的接触都在观察之中，并且采取了避免通过动物媒介暴露的步骤，因此没有理由让人们惊慌，" 它补充道。

The WHO is in contact with government officials in the affected areas, Henk Bekedam, its India representative, said in a statement.

世卫组织在一份声明中说，世卫组织正在与受影响地区的政府官员Henk Bekedam联系。

Health experts stressed the need for early detection and infection control to arrest the virus's spread.

健康专家强调必须及早发现和控制感染，以阻止病毒的传播。

"It will not spread like wildfire because it is not airborne, but it can be risky if they don't follow proper infection control procedures,"  said Dr. D. Himanshu, of King George's Medical University in the northern city of Lucknow.

卢克瑙州乔治王医科大学的D.Himanshu博士说：“它不会像野火一样传播，因为它不是空降的，但如果不遵循适当的感染控制程序，可能很危险。”

While the cause of the outbreak is still being investigated, visiting national health officials tied the initial deaths to  "many bats"  in a well in Kerala from which the victims drew water, the government said.

政府说，虽然仍在调查疫情的原因，但来访的国家卫生官员将喀拉拉州的一个井里的最初死亡与“许多蝙蝠”联系起来，受害者从这里抽取了水。

Samples from those bats were among the 60 sent to laboratories to be screened for the virus, it added.

它补充道，这些蝙蝠的取样来自送往实验室进行病毒筛查的60只实验室中。

The cases provoked concern among residents, a local government official said.

一位当地政府官员说,这些案件引起了居民的关注.

"A large number of people affected by fever, and even minor ailments, are swarming to hospitals, fearing they have contracted the disease,"  said U.V. Jose.

“大批受发烧影响的人，甚至小病症都涌到医院，他们担心感染了疾病，”何塞说。

Health officials in Kerala, which attracts many tourists, aims to soon issue a travel advisory, tourism official P. Bala Kiran said.

旅游官员巴拉·基兰(P.Bala Kiran)说，喀拉拉拉拉的卫生官员吸引了很多游客，他们打算很快发布旅游咨询。

The Nipah virus was first detected in Malaysia in 1998, and India has suffered two outbreaks in the last decade, killing 50 people, according to the WHO. — Reuters

据世界卫生组织统计，Nipah病毒于1998年在马来西亚首次被发现，印度在过去十年中爆发了两次，造成50人死亡。