- By Anushka Vats
- Wed, 13 Sep 2023 12:36 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Amid concerns over the reported cases of Nipah virus in Kerala, some schools and offices have been closed, and over seven villages have been declared as containment zones in the southern part of the state. The virus has claimed two lives, and two others, who are infected are under close medical attention in the district. More than 130 people have so far been tested for the virus, which is transmitted to humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected bats, pigs, or other people, an official from Kerala's health ministry was quoted as saying by the news agency Reuters.
Three teams from the federal government including the National Virology Institute were scheduled to arrive in Kerala on Wednesday for further testing, said the official who did not want to be quoted as he was not authorised to talk to the media.
The Nipah virus is transmitted to humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected bats, pigs or other people. (Image: Reuters)
Kerala Health Minister On Measures Taken To Deal With Situation
State Health Minister Veena George said the virus strain seen in Kerala was the Bangladesh variant that spreads from human to human and has a high mortality rate, though it is less infectious.
He also mentioned that besides the teams from NIV, and Pune, a group of epidemiologists would reach Kerala on Wednesday from Chennai to carry out a survey. Surveillance, contact tracing, categorising them into low and high risk, setting up isolation facilities for them, demarcating containment zones and procuring medicines from ICMR for those infected, were some of the numerous steps taken by the Health department to prevent spread of the brain damaging virus, he said.
What Is Nipah Virus
The deadly Nipah virus, which causes brain damage, was initially discovered in 1999 after an infection outbreak that affected pig farmers and other people in close contact with pigs in Malaysia and Singapore.
Kerala is witnessing the fourth Nipah outbreak since 2018.
The first and worst outbreak began with a 26-year-old man who went to hospital with a fever and cough that spread to family members and other patients before it was diagnosed as Nipah. Twenty-one of the 23 infected people died then.
In 2019 and 2021, Nipah claimed two more lives. A Reuters investigation published in May identified parts of Kerala as among the places most at risk globally for outbreaks of bat viruses. Extensive deforestation and urbanisation have brought people and wildlife into close contact.
(With inputs from Reuters)