Question:medium
A fruit farmer presents with fever, respiratory difficulties, and neurological complications. What is the most likely diagnosis?
A fruit farmer presents with fever, respiratory difficulties, and neurological complications. What is the most likely diagnosis?
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In regions with fruit bats, consider Nipah virus if the patient presents with fever, respiratory distress, and neurological symptoms like encephalitis.
Updated On: Jun 22, 2026
- Ebola
- Meningitis
- Nipah
- Zika
Show Solution
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
Answer: Nipah.
The strongest clue is the job: a fruit farmer. Nipah virus is carried by fruit bats. The bats bite fruit or leave saliva on it (and in raw date-palm sap), and a person who eats the fruit or drinks the sap can catch the virus. A fruit farmer has exactly this exposure, so Nipah fits the story best.
The symptoms match too. Nipah classically gives a mix of fever, breathing trouble, and brain inflammation (encephalitis), which explains the neurological complaints. This fever-plus-lung-plus-brain pattern is typical of Nipah.
The other options do not fit:
- Ebola causes fever and bleeding, not a lung-plus-brain picture, and is not linked to fruit farming.
- Meningitis gives fever, neck stiffness and headache, but not the breathing problem.
- Zika spreads by mosquito bite and is usually mild, with rash and joint pain, not severe lung and brain disease.
Joining the exposure and the symptom pattern points to Nipah (option 3). Outbreaks of this kind have been reported in Kerala, India.
The strongest clue is the job: a fruit farmer. Nipah virus is carried by fruit bats. The bats bite fruit or leave saliva on it (and in raw date-palm sap), and a person who eats the fruit or drinks the sap can catch the virus. A fruit farmer has exactly this exposure, so Nipah fits the story best.
The symptoms match too. Nipah classically gives a mix of fever, breathing trouble, and brain inflammation (encephalitis), which explains the neurological complaints. This fever-plus-lung-plus-brain pattern is typical of Nipah.
The other options do not fit:
- Ebola causes fever and bleeding, not a lung-plus-brain picture, and is not linked to fruit farming.
- Meningitis gives fever, neck stiffness and headache, but not the breathing problem.
- Zika spreads by mosquito bite and is usually mild, with rash and joint pain, not severe lung and brain disease.
Joining the exposure and the symptom pattern points to Nipah (option 3). Outbreaks of this kind have been reported in Kerala, India.
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