Kerala has issued a statewide alert on the West Nile Virus after cases — and death — were reported from Thrissur, Malappuram, and Kozhikode.
A micrograph of the West Nile Virus, appearing in yellow. (Creative Commons)
Kerala’s Health Department on Tuesday, 7 May, issued a statewide alert, urging heightened vigilance and immediate action to contain the spread of the West Nile Virus (WNV).
The alert came after Kerala reported seven cases of the disease, and amidst growing concerns over the reporting of the virus in the Thrissur, Malappuram, and Kozhikode districts.
In response to the emergence of the cases, the department is said to have mobilised resources and instructed relevant authorities to intensify mosquito control measures on a war footing.
This reportedly includes extensive fumigation drives and community awareness campaigns. The steps aim to minimise mosquito breeding grounds and educate residents about preventive measures.
While reassuring the public that there was no cause for panic, health officials underscored the importance of prompt medical attention for anyone displaying symptoms associated with West Nile Virus infection.
Symptoms of the virus may include fever, headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhoea, or rash. In severe cases, individuals may experience neurological symptoms such as disorientation, tremors, seizures, or paralysis, which necessitate immediate medical intervention.
According to state Health Minister Veena George, WNV cases have been reported in the state since 2011, and there was no need to panic.
She added that directions were given to the respective district medical offices to work with district administrations and local self-government institutions to eliminate the mosquito breeding sites and strengthen pre-monsoon cleaning operations.
“District Vector Control Units are collecting samples and sending them for testing. Awareness programmes are also in full swing,” said Veena in a statement released on Tuesday.
The Health Department has urged residents to remain vigilant and take proactive measures to protect themselves from mosquito bites.
This includes wearing long-sleeved clothing, using mosquito repellents, and ensuring the use of mosquito nets, particularly during dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
Health authorities have also emphasized the importance of community cooperation in eliminating stagnant water sources, which serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes, and in reporting any suspected cases of WNV to local health authorities promptly.
According to the health department, on this month alone, six confirmed cases of West Nile Virus cases were reported and that includes one death, that of a 79-year-old Thrissur native.
Of the six cases, five were reported in Kozhikode. The infected persons, which included children, are all fine now and are back to their homes.
This year, the state recorded seven positive cases and five suspected cases.
According to the World Health Organisation, the West Nile Virus (WNV) was first isolated in a woman in the West Nile district of Uganda in 1937.
The global health body has said it can cause neurological disease and death in people.
The WNV is a member of the flavivirus genus and belongs to the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex of the family Flaviviridae.
It is said to be maintained in nature in a cycle involving transmission between birds and mosquitoes. The WHO says that human infection is most often the result of bites from infected mosquitoes.
Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on infected birds, which circulate the virus in their blood for a few days. The virus eventually gets into the mosquito’s salivary glands.
During later blood meals (when mosquitoes bite), the virus may be injected into humans and animals, where it can multiply and possibly cause illness.
Infection with WNV is either asymptomatic (no symptoms) in around 80 percent of infected people or can lead to West Nile fever or severe West Nile disease.
However, about 20 percent of people infected with WNV will develop West Nile fever. Symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, body aches, nausea, vomiting, occasionally a skin rash (on the trunk of the body), and swollen lymph glands.
The symptoms of severe disease (in neuroinvasive diseases such as West Nile encephalitis or meningitis, or West Nile poliomyelitis) include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, and paralysis.
It is estimated that approximately one in 150 persons infected with the West Nile Virus develop a more severe form of the disease.
Serious illness can occur in people of any age. However, people over the age of 50 and some immunocompromised persons (for example, transplant patients) are at the highest risk of getting severely ill when infected with WNV. The incubation period is usually 3 to 14 days.
As no vaccine or specific medicines are available for WNV infection, rest, fluids, and over-the-counter pain medications may relieve some symptoms.
In severe cases, patients often need to be hospitalised to receive supportive treatment, such as intravenous fluids, pain medication, and nursing care.
(Edited by Arkadev Ghoshal)
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