The academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences called the comparison of the Nipah virus with COVID-19 incorrect.

It is incorrect to compare the Nipah virus with the coronavirus, since the mechanisms of its spread are fundamentally different. This was announced on January 29 during a press conference on: "The Nipah virus: a new epidemic or a local outbreak," Alexander Gorelov, Deputy Director for Scientific Work at the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told the Izvestia News Center.

According to him, the source of Nipah infection is bats, which carry the virus asymptomatically. Unlike COVID-19, which is a respiratory disease and is transmitted by airborne droplets, Nipah has a different nature and other routes of infection.

On January 27, the World Health Organization (WHO) indicated a low risk of further spread of the Nipah virus, but stressed that due to insufficient knowledge of the virus, there is a possibility of other outbreaks. WHO spokesman Tarik Zhazarevich said that Nipah has a mortality rate of 40 to 75%, depending on the strain of the virus and the level of medical care.

To prevent infection, the organization recommends boiling date palm juice, thoroughly washing and peeling fruits before use, and discarding fruits with signs of bat bites.

The news is being updated