Professor says no Nipah virus found in bats in Georgia

Studies of bats in Georgia have found no evidence of the Nipah virus, said Professor Ivane Chkhaidze, Medical Director of the Iashvili Central Children’s Hospital.

“As for the symptoms, they begin like a typical flu, but then brain damage becomes prominent. Death occurs due to encephalitis, brain swelling, and coma,” Chkhaidze said, Caliber.Az reports, citing Georgian media.

The specialist expressed doubts that the Nipah virus could become a problem for Georgia and sees no need for special controls on passengers arriving from India.

“The most likely way the virus spreads is through consumption of palm sap contaminated with bat feces or saliva,” Chkhaidze warned.

The Nipah virus is a zoonotic viral infection belonging to the Paramyxoviridae family, capable of causing severe respiratory illness and inflammation of the brain (encephalitis). Bats are the primary natural reservoirs of the virus.

By Khagan Isayev