Nipah virus is a newly emerging zoonosis of paramyxoviridae family which  causes severe disease in both humans and animals. The natural reservoirs are the fruit bats of Pteropus genus and pigs in different outbreaks. The virus can spread from animals to humans through either close contact or eating contaminated fruits and or from humans to humans through close contact or respiratory droplets from an affected person. An individual can show symptoms after exposure within 5-14 days with fever, headache initially to severe encephalitis leading to coma and death. Bacteremia, kidney damage and other complications are possible in severely ill patients. There is no vaccine available at present but the treatment should be focussed upon managing fever and other neurological symptoms, standard safety measures such as regular hand hygiene, using personal protective equipment and healthy eating habits to fight against infection. An overall death rate of 40 to 75% is approximated. This article throws emphasis on the prevention and control measures of Nipah virus in children.

Keywords: Nipah Virus; Encephalitis; Transmission; Fruit Bats.