Weill Cornell Scientists Find Drug To Combat Bioterrorism Attack Of Two New Viruses

New York City, New York (AHN) - Two deadly and highly infectious viruses that could be used as bioterrorism threats can now be cured by a drug developed by Weill Cornell Medical College scientists.

Infection with the deadly Hendra and Nipah viruses often leads to a fatal case of encephalitis and there has not been any effective treatment. Although scientists say they aren't sure how the viruses are transmitted, they say it is either by close contact with an infected host or by breathing in the microscopic pathogens.

The Hendra and Nipah viruses are newly recognized zoonotic viruses that are normally in mammals from small animals, such as fruit bats, to larger animals such as pigs, horses and even humans, Weill Cornell researchers said in a statement Wednesday.

Researchers at New York City's Weill Cornell Medical College discovered a way to block the virus from entering and infecting human cells with a drug that could be stockpiled and used to protect people in case of a bioterrorism attack using the Hendra and Nipah viruses, they said in the statement.

Their findings were just published in the journal Virology.

According to the World Health Organization, the Nipah virus was discovered in 1999 in Nipah, Malaysia.

According to a statement on the WHO website, the Nipah virus "has caused disease in animals and humans, through contact with infected animals" and is closely related to the newly discovered Hendra virus, first identified in 1994 in Hendra, Australia. The viruses were first found in fruit flies, which don't become ill but serve as carriers to transmit the virus to other animals.

WHO says, there is a four to 18 day incubation period. Symptoms begin as "'influenza-like,' with high fever and muscle pains (myalgia). The disease may progress to inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) with drowsiness, disorientation, convulsions and coma. Fifty percent of clinically apparent cases die."