Allicinfacts

Nipah virus was identified in 1999 when it caused an outbreak of neurological and respiratory disease on pig farms in Peninsular Malaysia, resulting in 105 human deaths and the culling of one million pigs. In Singapore, 11 cases including one death occurred in abattoir workers exposed to pigs imported from the affected Malaysian farms. Six more outbreaks of the Nipah virus have occurred since 1999, one in India and five in Bangladesh.

History of Outbreak

-	From September 1998 - April 1999, there was a large outbreak of encephalitis in Malaysia. During the investigation of this outbreak, Nipah virus, a previously unrecognized virus, was identified as the causal agent. A total of 265 people were infected, of whom 105 died.
-	An associated outbreak among abattoir workers in Singapore during March 1999 led to 11 cases, with 1 death. These workers had been handling pigs that had been imported from the outbreak areas in Malaysia.