Scientists working on how to combat a highly infectious and deadly virus called Nipah, which is transmitted to humans from bats and pigs, say they have found around a dozen potential drugs that might be developed to block the disease.
The early-stage molecule-screening research could lead to the development of a drug to target Nipah, which has caused several deadly outbreaks in South Asia and which is seen by some experts as posing a pandemic threat. There are no current treatments or vaccines against the viral disease.
"This is a potentially very serious health hazard, because so far, every single time it has struck, the fatality rates have been extremely high," said M.S. Madhusudhan, an associate professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research who co-led the research.
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