Deadly Viral Outbreak in India

A province in India is experiencing another outbreak of the Nipah virus—the fourth in the region since 2018 (Telegraph, September 14, 2023). Deaths have occurred with each outbreak, and so far, two have died in this one. There have been 800 suspected contacts. These numbers might seem low, but the fatality rate for infection with the virus can be up to 75 percent! Should the virus break through containment, the results could be catastrophic in a nation with India’s population densities.

Public officials have “declared containment zones in at least eight villages, where public offices, schools, government buildings and religious institutions have been temporarily closed” in an attempt to curb infection rates. The virus was first observed when it jumped from pigs to farmers in Malaysia and Singapore in 1999. It is spread through bodily fluids of infected animals or people. Bats and other small animals have also been known to pass the infection to humans. The director of epidemiology at the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations has called the Nipah virus “one of the deadliest pathogens known to infect humans.”

This current outbreak is also likely to be contained, hopefully with minimal deaths. However, Bible prophecies clearly indicate a time coming when the world will see major disease outbreaks, including in many prominent Western nations (Revelation 6:7–8; Leviticus 26:16). These future days of unprecedented contagion and disease will take place not long before Jesus Christ returns to change things for the better. To learn more about end-time events, read or request Fourteen Signs Announcing Christ’s Return.