Preliminary tests conducted at a Kozhikode facility pointed to a possible Nipah virus infection. The Health Department has sent the patient's samples to the National Institute of Virology and is awaiting the result.
Published Sep 14, 2024 | 9:24 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 15, 2024 | 11:26 AM
It has been ascertained that fruit bats (flying foxes) of the Pteropodidae family are the natural hosts of the NiV. In the case of Kerala, researchers have found the presence of NiV among fruit bat samples. (Wikimedia Commons)
A 23-year-old student died of a suspected Nipah infection in a private hospital at Perinthalmanna in Kerala’s Malappuram district, sparking fears of yet another outbreak of the deadly disease.
The student, studying in Bengaluru, returned to his Wandoor home after developing jaundice-like symptoms. He received treatment in a private hospital for about a week before his death on 9 September.
Preliminary tests conducted at a facility in Kozhikode pointed to a possible Nipah virus infection. The Kerala Health Department is now awaiting the results from the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for confirmation.
The health department convened a high-level meeting to assess the situation and prepare for any necessary interventions to contain a potential outbreak.
It also released a list of people who came in contact with the person after the suspected infection. 26 people have had primary contact with the victim.
The latest death comes just weeks after Malappuram was declared Nipah-free on 21 August.
Earlier, the district had been on high alert after a 14-year-old boy succumbed to Nipah on 21 July, marking the fifth instance of the deadly virus in Kerala since its first outbreak in 2018.
Following the boy’s death, health officials maintained 42 days of heightened surveillance, twice the virus’s incubation period, before officially declaring the district free of the virus.
Despite the end of that vigilance period, the fresh death has reignited fears of another possible outbreak.
Health officials are on high alert, with contact tracing efforts already said to be underway. They are prepared to implement containment measures if the Pune lab confirms the presence of the virus.
While it is not yet confirmed whether the death is linked to the Nipah virus (NiV), the mere possibility has prompted swift action from the health authorities.
Kerala has been particularly vulnerable to Nipah outbreaks, and any signs of its resurgence are taken with utmost seriousness, said the health department.
This latest incident in Wandoor has left the district on edge, as residents wait for the final test results that could determine whether Malappuram is once again facing a deadly battle against Nipah.
The World Health Organization defines NiV as a zoonotic virus transmitted from animals to humans.
It can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly between people. In infected people, it causes a range of illnesses from asymptomatic (subclinical) infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis.
It has been ascertained that fruit bats (flying foxes) of the Pteropodidae family are the natural hosts of the NiV. In the case of Kerala, researchers have found the presence of NiV among fruit bat samples.
“Though most of the reports are from Kozhikode and Wayanad districts, the presence of NiV has also been detected in bats in Ernakulam, Idukki and Malappuram districts,” read an excerpt from the document of the health department on NiV.
“Studies are still underway in districts other than these five districts. Perhaps when such studies are completed, the presence of NiVs in bats may be detected in all districts of Kerala,” the document noted.
“Although rare, we have already witnessed these viruses reaching humans and causing a lot of deaths and panic. Therefore, the necessary measures need to be implemented to prevent this virus from reaching humans, to identify it early, even in the rarest of its occurrences, and to save the lives of humans if there are chances of them getting infected,” it added.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
