The Kerala government has declared seven village panchayats in Kozhikode district as containment zones, following two deaths due to the Nipah virus. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said four suspected cases are currently under surveillance and their samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune.
A Central government team from NIV Pune would arrive in Kerala to set up a mobile lab at Kozhikode Medical College to test for Nipah and carry out survey of bats. State Health Minister Veena George said that 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.
Kerala is one of the few states in India that have previously reported the infection due to Nipah virus. The first Nipah virus in the state was reported from Kozhikode on May 19, 2018, while there have been two deaths due to the infected in the district in 2018 and 2021.
Here is all you need to know about the virus, its transmission, prevention and treatment.
What is Nipah Virus?
Nipah virus (NiV) is a zoonotic virus, meaning it can spread between animals and people. Fruit bats, also called flying foxes, are the animal reservoir for NiV in nature.
Nipah virus is also known to cause illness in pigs and people. Infection with NiV is associated with encephalitis (swelling of the brain) and can cause mild to severe illness and even death.
The name ‘Nipah’ is named after a Malaysian village, where the first outbreak was reported in 1998-1999.
When Was it First Discovered?
Nipah virus was first discovered in 1999 following an outbreak of disease in pigs and people in Malaysia and Singapore. This outbreak caused nearly 300 human cases and more than 100 deaths. On that occasion, pigs were the virus hosts but they are believed to have caught it from bats.
In India the disease was first reported in 2001 and again six years later, with the two outbreaks claiming 50 lives.
How Nipah Virus Spreads
The virus can spread through infected fruit bats to people and other animals, such as pigs. People can become infected if they have close contact with an infected animal or its body fluids, such as saliva or urine. Once it spreads to people, the disease can spread from person-to-person.
Symptoms
The Nipah infection can cause problems ranging from respiratory issues to fatal encephalitis, meaning inflammation of the brain.
The incubation period of Nipah infection varies from 4 to 21 days. In the initial stages, there may be symptoms like fever, headache, dizziness and vomiting.
However, the hallmark of Nipah viral infection are the following symptoms:
- Moderate to high grade fever
- Headache
- Vomiting
- Cough
- Breathlessness
- Change in behaviour/sensorium
- Seizures/abnormal movement
- Myalgia or pain in a muscle
- Fatigue
Precautions
Nipah virus infection can be prevented by avoiding exposure to sick pigs and bats in areas where the virus is present, and not drinking raw date palm sap which can be contaminated by an infected bat.
Some of the preventive measures, suggested by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, are:
- Regular handwash with soap and water.
- Avoid contact with sick bats or pigs.
- Avoid areas where bats are present.
- Avoid eating or drinking products that may be contaminated by bats like raw date palm sap, raw fruit or fruits found on the ground.
- Avoid contact with the blood or body fluids of any person known to be infected with NiV.
Treatment
The treatment of Nipah virus infection is mostly limited to supportive care and management of acute encephalitis syndrome. According to the WHO, there are no drugs or vaccines specific for Nipah available.
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