‘Brain swelling’ bat virus far deadlier than Covid kills 2 raising fears – the 10 signs to know

A VIRUS dubbed the 'next pandemic threat' is surging, experts have warned.

Hundreds of people in India are being tested for Nipah after two died and at least five were infected.

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Schools and offices have shut in some parts of the southern state of Kerala where the cases were reported.

Nipah is a zoonotic virus transmitted from animals like fruit bats and pigs to humans, according to the World Health Organization.

Listed by the WHO as a “priority pathogen” with pandemic potential, it can rapidly attack the respiratory and central nervous systems.

The bug - which inspired the blockbuster film Contagion about a global pandemic - attacks the brain causing it to swell and has a fatality rate up to 75 per cent. 

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Of those who survive it, around 20 per cent are left with long-term neurological conditions, including personality changes or seizure disorders. 

For comparison, estimates based off the John Hopkins University dashboard suggest the fatality rate of Covid is just over one per cent.

There is no medicine or vaccine available to treat Nipah.

Authorities racing to curb the threat have also suspended public transport, while over 800 potential contacts , including 153 health workers, have been identified and tested.

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This is the fourth Nipah outbreak in Kerala since 2018.

“We are in a stage of hypervigilance and detection,” Veena George, the state’s health minister, told Reuters.

“We are testing human beings and are also collecting fluid samples from forested areas that could be the hotspot for the spread,” she said.

Scientists previously told The Sun that Nipah could “absolutely be the cause of a new pandemic”.

The United States deems the virus a , as it “could be engineered for mass dissemination in the future”. 

The virus predominantly affects Bangladesh, where outbreaks occur almost every year.

This year, between January 4 and February 13, a total of 11 cases of Nipah including eight deaths were reported in the country.

Other regions at risk for infection include Cambodia, Ghana, Indonesia, Madagascar, the Philippines, and Thailand.