ABSTRACT
Nipah virus has been found to be widely distributed in at least 10 genera and 23 species of bats in large part of Asia and Africa.51 Therefore, clinicians should be open to emergence of Nipah virus infection, even though the infection has not been known to be endemic. The clinical features that may indicate possible Henipavirus infection are: (1) history of illness in animals, such as pigs or horses, that may be exposed to Pteropus or other fruit bats; (2) clustering of cases in the same household or geographic area that may suggest an outbreak; (3) clustering of cases that may suggest zoonosis or person-to-person spread of infection, e.g., illness involving animal workers, healthcare workers, or family members; and (4) acute febrile illness involving neurologic or respiratory systems.
