Clinical Features of Nipah Virus Encephalitis among Pig Farmers in Malaysia

Between September 1998 and June 1999, there was an outbreak of febrile encephalitis in several pig-farming villages in Malaysia. More than 200 patients were admitted to hospitals nationwide, many of whom died. 1 – 3 The pig-farming industry was disrupted by the culling of many pigs to control the outbreak and the closing of farms. Several abattoir workers in neighboring Singapore were also affected. 4 , 5 Japanese encephalitis, a viral encephalitis associated with pigs that is endemic in Southeast Asia, was initially suspected, but clinical and epidemiologic features suggested that a different disease was responsible. The isolation of a new paramyxovirus, subsequently named . . .