Overview / History

Henipaviruses are a family of viruses that exist in the environment, and "spill over" to infect people. These "emerging" viruses are uncommon, and research is underway to understand the risk to people. Viruses that are known to cause human infections include:

• Hendra
• Nipah
• Langya

Mode of spread

Animals

Transmission

Henipaviruses are probably present in animals, such as bats. The exact way in which people are infected is not fully understood, however human infection probably occurs via an intermediate animal or contaminated item (such as fruit in the case of Nipah virus).

Vaccination

Vaccination is available for Hendra virus.
Research into a vaccine for Nipah virus is underway.