A systematic review of case reports on mortality, modes of infection, diagnostic tests, and treatments for Nipah virus infection.

Background: First identified in Malaysia in 1998, the Nipah virus is a paramyxovirus related to the Hendra virus. The clinical manifestation can vary from a silent infection to a life-threatening encephalitis. The World Health Organization (WHO) has documented 25 outbreaks in South Asia, resulting in 429 cases and 307 deaths to date. Currently, there are no approved treatments for the deadly Nipah virus infection, which is a serious threat to public health worldwide. Consequently, a review was conducted to examine the geographic distribution of the Nipah virus, mortality, transmission pathways, and available methods for diagnosis and treatment.

Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar servers were used to conduct a systematic search in compliance with the PRISMA guidelines. The results were tabulated and analyzed.

Results: A total of 12 studies (7 case series and 5 case reports) were included in the final analysis, and 92 cases were analyzed. The most frequent symptoms were fever (80%), myalgia (47%), headache (47%), shortness of breath/acute respiratory distress syndrome (n = 44.1%), altered sensorium (44.1%), and vomiting (42.6%). The most commonly used diagnostic test was RT-PCR (45.5%). The most common route of transmission reported is direct human contact with the infected patients. Treatment modalities include interventional procedures, antiviral drugs, and symptomatic treatment. The most common complications were seizures (39.2%) and altered sensorium (35.7%). The mortality rate was 73.9%.

Conclusion: It is crucial to emphasize the importance of early Nipah virus infection diagnosis and treatment to prevent life-threatening consequences.