Published Jul 20, 2024 | 11:12 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 20, 2024 | 11:12 AM
Nipah Virus. (iStock)
The deadly Nipah virus has once again caused fear in Kerala’s Malappuram, with a 14-year-old boy being admitted to a private hospital in Kozhikode, with symptoms suspected to be of the virus.
The boy, a resident of Perinthalmanna, was initially taken to a local private hospital in his hometown before being shifted to Kozhikode.
According to hospital sources, the boy is experiencing common symptoms of the Nipah virus. His blood samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for further testing. However, the boy’s condition is currently stable.
The hospital has taken all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of its staff and other patients. The boy is currently in an isolation ward, and a team of doctors is closely monitoring his condition.
It is learnt that health officials have also begun tracing the boy’s contacts to prevent any potential spread of the virus.
The district administration has been put on high alert, and measures are being taken to contain any possible outbreak.
This is not the first time Kozhikode has faced a Nipah scare. In 2018, the district witnessed a major outbreak of the virus, resulting in several deaths. After the 2018 major outbreak, Kerala witnessed Nipah outbreaks in 2019, 2021, and 2023.
Nipah virus, often referred to as Nipah, is a zoonotic virus with the capacity to pass on from animals to humans, subsequently spreading among humans.
Fruit bats, scientifically known as flying foxes, serve as natural hosts for the Nipah virus.
The virus is transmitted to humans also through infected animals, such as bats and pigs, or food contaminated with saliva, urine, and excreta of infected animals.
It can also be transmitted directly from person to person through close contact with an infected person, although this represents a less common transmission route.
Doctors said people infected with Nipah can show symptoms similar to the Covid infection. Cough, sore throat, dizziness, drowsiness, muscle pain, tiredness, and swelling of the brain (encephalitis), which can cause headache, stiff neck, confusion, seizures, and sensitivity to light are some common symptoms.
A person might also fall unconscious, ultimately leading to death.
The case-fatality rates in outbreaks across Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, and Singapore typically range from 40 to 100 percent.
As of now, there are no available effective therapies or vaccines for this disease.
The delay in diagnosis will increase the chance of spread to humans through the risk of increased human-to-human spread. The knowledge about the ecology of bats, virus, and the seasonality of the disease is important in the prevention of future outbreaks.
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula, with inputs from Dileep V Kumar)
