Nipah virus infection is a new zoonotic disease that causes several disease in both animals and humans.
Zoonotic : Pertaining to a zoonosis : a disease that can be transmitted from animals to people or more specially a disease that normally exists in animals but that can infect humans.
Nipah virus infection was first recognise in a large outbreak of 265 suspected cases in Malaysia during 1998 to 1999. Most patients had contact with sick pig or had been in close physical contact with Nipah virus infected patients.
The disease spreads through fruit bats or flying foxes of the genus pteropus, who are natural reservoir hosts of the nipah and hendra viruses. The virus is present in bat urine and potentially , bat faeces, saliva ,and birthing fluids.