Dr dr Dicky Budiman is an epidemiologist and an Environmental Health expert. His PhD is in Global Health Security, Leadership & Risk Communication. He says that while Nipah virus is a dangerous virus with a high fatality rate, it doesn't spread easily from person-to-person. It spread mainly from fruit bats.
Dr Budiman says that the discovery of cases in humans is also depends on adequate surveillance capabilities. Southeast Asia for example is a risk region due to the presence of bats in the forests there. When a case is found in a country, other countries could be at risk due to high people mobility and the long incubation period which can take a month. Then if someone in another country gets it, it is called the import case. Nipah can cause fever and brain inflammation.
