The Centers for Disease Control says it plans to list the Nipah virus
infection as a Category 5 notifiable disease.

The statement follows a recent outbreak of the virus in India.

The C-D-C said it released a proposed change to its measures on controlling
infectious diseases on January 16 -- which would list Nipah virus infection
as a Category 5 disease.

The measure now has to undergo a 60-day period during which members of the
public can comment on it before it can take effect.

The Nipah virus has only been under priority surveillance in Taiwan since
2018, but more than 750 cases have been reported since the virus was first
identified in 1998, with a fatality rate of about 58-per cent.

As a Category 5 disease, the virus will be classified as an emerging or rare
infection with major public health risks, requiring immediate reporting and
special control measures.

The Nipah virus can infect humans through contact with infected bats or
animals such as pigs, as well as through respiratory droplets or direct
contact with bodily fluids.