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TOKYO, JAPAN — The Nipah virus is unlikely to spread in Japan, the Japan Institute for Health Security said, following the confirmation of recent cases in India.
The virus has an incubation period of four to 14 days, and symptoms include fever and muscle pain. It can cause encephalitis in severe cases, and the mortality rate is estimated at between 40 percent and 75 percent.
The virus is transmitted mainly through contact with bats.
According to the government-linked organization, the risk of infection in Japan is small because no bats carrying the virus have been found in the country, and the possibility of the virus spreading is low, as it is not easily transmitted from person to person in daily life. (Jiji Press)