Viral epidemics of variable frequency and severity have wreaked havoc and panic across the world. The Nipah virus (NiV), which has been linked to multiple outbreaks, mostly in South and Southeast Asia, is regarded as one of the deadliest in the world. In Bangladesh, seasonal outbreaks of encephalitis caused by the NiV have occurred annually since 2003. In particular, NiV has numerous characteristics that highlight its potential as a pandemic danger, such as its human-to-human transmission capability and its propensity to infect humans directly from natural reservoirs and/or from other animals. Numerous types of research investigate the pathophysiology and viral mechanisms of disease progression. The NiV and its disease have been studied thoroughly but attempts to implement preventive techniques have met cultural and social obstacles. This review highlights the NiV outbreaks, and its present status, the preventative and control measures implemented, the potential causes of the outbreaks in Bangladesh, and the precautions that must be taken by both government and nongovernment entities to contain the outbreaks and assure a future with fewer or no occurrences.
Keywords: Bangladesh; Nipah virus; encephalitis; infectious disease.
© The Author(s) 2023.