Indian Express Nipah virus was first identified in 1998 during an outbreak among pig farmers in Malaysia. Later, pteropus bat populations have been identified as its primary reservoir. How do factors like ecological disruption and wildlife–human interactions contribute to the rise of infectious diseases like Nipah virus outbreaks? Human health is shaped by several existential threats, among which infectious viruses remain one of the most persistent. A large proportion of emerging human viruses originate in animals, highlighting the importance of zoonotic spillovers. Numerous examples illustrate this pattern:
* Hantavirus and Lassa virus from rodents
* Yellow fever from non-human primates
* Monkeypox from African rodents and squirrels.
* Influenza from wild birds and poultry.
* HIV-1 from chimpanzees.
* Rabies, largely from dogs.
* Henipaviruses such as Hendra and Nipah, along with Marburg and several coronaviruses, from bats.