Central team sent to Kerala to take stock of situation, assist state govt in Nipah virus management, the Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said.
The Kerala Health Department took action on Monday by issuing a health alert in Kozhikode district when two deaths were suspected to be linked to the Nipah virus infection, which was described as "unusual." According to PTI, the State Health Minister, Veena George, chaired a high-level meeting to assess the situation. The health department issued a statement on Monday night stating that two deaths, which followed a fever, were reported from a private hospital, raising concerns about Nipah virus infection.
Furthermore, it was reported that relatives of one of the deceased individuals have also been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).
It's worth noting that Kozhikode district has witnessed previous instances of Nipah virus infection-related deaths, with cases documented in both 2018 and 2021. The initial outbreak of the Nipah virus (NiV) in southern India was first identified in Kozhikode on May 19, 2018.
A district-wide health alert was issued yesterday following two suspected Nipah virus-related deaths. Samples, including one from the deceased and four from their relatives, were sent for testing at the virology institute.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed concern in a Facebook post, stating that the government takes these deaths seriously and the health department has issued a district-wide alert due to Nipah virus suspicions. He reassured the public that most individuals who had close contact with the deceased are receiving treatment, minimizing the need for concern.
Symptoms and Treatments
1. Nipah is a zoonotic virus that can spread from animals to humans and then among humans. The virus is named after a Malaysian village it was first detected in. Fruit bats, also known as flying foxes, are hosts for Nipah virus.
2. Fruits bats infected by the virus are spread the infection to humans or other animals. Close contact with an infected animal or with its body fluids carry high risk of transmission. An infected person can pass on the virus to another.
3. A Nipah infection can cause a problems ranging from respiratory issues to fatal encephalitis - meaning inflammation of the brain. The symptoms include fever, headache, cough, difficulty breathing and vomiting. More severe symptoms are disorientation, seizures and coma. According to the World Health Organisation, cases of Nipah infection have a fatality rate between 40 per cent to 75 per cent.
4. According to the WHO, no drugs or vaccines specific for Nipah are currently available. "Intensive supportive care is recommended to treat severe respiratory and neurologic complications," a WHO note on Nipah infection says.
5. The global health body stresses that the only way to reduce or prevent Nipah infection in people is by spreading awareness. It recommends public educations messages asking people to wash fruits thoroughly washed before consumption and following precautions after coming in contact with infected people.
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