DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2019.v07i08.004

Pages: 2644-2649

Nipah virus (NiV) is a deadly virus with a high mortality rate that has affected many developing countries in the past. According to the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), many economically deprived countries are at high risk for future outbreaks. Almost two decades after the first NiV case was reported little scientific progress has been made in finding a proper treatment and prevention vaccine. As many developing countries are not properly equipped to fight the infection, it is vital to properly educate the health systems. The goal of an infection control program is to provide a safe working environment for dental health care personnel and their patients. It is crucial for all dental practitioners to be up to date on current Centres for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention guidelines, equipment, and techniques for proper infection control. Continuous evaluation of infection control practices is important, this ensures the patients and enables the dental healthcare providers confidence that oral health care can be delivered and received in a safe and effective manner. As dentists are one of the health care professionals who work very closely with their patients, the article aims to provide an epidemiological background as well as to understand the transmission routes, presentation, diagnosis and prevention of this deadly virus and precautions to be taken by dental health care personnel.