"The virus kills the victim quickly, so widespread transmission is unlikely," Dr. Myasnikov explained. But no one can provide a full guarantee against the spread of this virus. The World Health Organization has declared this virus a high-risk pathogen.
Doctor Alexander Myasnikov assessed the possibility of the deadly Nipah virus spreading in Europe.
"There is no natural reservoir (an organism in which the virus lives and from which it can be transmitted to others - ed.) of this virus in our [Russia]. The natural reservoir of the Nipah virus is bats of the genus Pteropus (so-called flying foxes, large fruit bats)," the doctor stated.
The doctor added that imported cases of the virus are hardly transmitted from person to person, as this requires close contact. In this case, Nipah can spread through the air, he pointed out.
At the same time, the very high mortality rate from the virus, as Myasnikov believed, will prevent it from causing a pandemic. "If the mortality rate is 50-75 percent, then the source - the infected person - becomes severely ill and drops out of society. The virus kills the victim so quickly that widespread transmission is unlikely," the doctor explained.
In turn, the World Health Organization declared this raging virus in India a high-risk pathogen.
