A woman around 40 years old in northern Bangladesh died one week after developing symptoms of fever and seizures due to Nipah virus infection, following consumption of fresh date palm sap.

Once inside the body, the Nipah virus attacks the central nervous system, causing acute encephalitis or progressive pneumonia leading to respiratory failure.

Health experts state Vietnam currently faces a low risk of a Nipah virus outbreak, even though earlier studies found antibodies against the virus in some bat populations nationwide.

Doctor Truong Huu Khanh asserts that Nipah spreads through contact with animal secretions or infected individuals, not strongly through respiratory means, making widespread outbreaks difficult.

Nipah virus causes acute encephalitis and rapidly progressing respiratory failure in children, with a mortality rate of 40-75%, but a low infection rate of only 0,33%; currently, there is no specific treatment or vaccine.