An incurable virus has broken out in India, which could cause a pandemic.

Indian health authorities are battling an outbreak of the Nipah virus, which has “pandemic potential” and for which there is no vaccine or treatment, according to The Metro.

The article notes that five cases have been identified in the country. This week, a doctor, a nurse and a health worker were infected with the virus.

“The nurse, who is in a coma, is suspected of being infected while treating a patient with severe respiratory illness,” the newspaper reported.

The publication explains that authorities have tested 180 people who came into contact with the infected people and quarantined 20 of them.

Nipah virus spreads between animals and people, but can also be transmitted from person to person. Many people in India are infected by bats. In humans, the virus can manifest as asymptomatic infection or cause acute respiratory illness. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, vomiting, and sore throat, and in severe cases, brain inflammation can occur, which can lead to coma within two days.

The report notes that the virus has been classified by the World Health Organization as a priority pathogen (possibly capable of causing a pandemic).

Last summer, scientists at the Yunnan Institute of Endemic Disease Control in China discovered two new viruses in bats that are genetically related to the Nipah and Hendra viruses that are dangerous to humans. These pathogens can cause severe brain inflammation and respiratory diseases.