Kozhikode (Kerala): Kerala’s health minister Veena George said that the Nipah virus strain detected in Kerala was that of Bangladesh variant that spreads from human to human and has a high mortality rate, though it is less infectious.
The minister made this assertion while confirming deaths of two persons infected with Nihap virus while treatment at a private hospital in Kozhikode on Tuesday.
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Earlier in the day, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan in a Facebook post said two people died due to infections. Of the four people whose saliva was sent for testing, two were Nipah positive and two were Nipah negative, he said.
Reports say that one adult and a child are still infected and in hospital, and more than 130 people have so far been tested positive for the virus. The virus is believed to have been transmitted to humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected bats, pigs or other people, an official from Kerala’s health ministry said.
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Following the outbreak of Nipah infection, seven village panchayats—Atanchery, Maruthonkara, Tiruvallur, Kuttiyadi, Kayakkodi, Villyapalli, and Kavilumpara—in Kerala’s Kozhikode district have been declared as containment zones.
The teams from National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, are likely to arrive in Kerala during the day to set up a mobile lab at Kozhikode Medical College for quick testing for Nipah and carry out survey of bats, the state government said in the assembly on Wednesday.
Causes of Nipah virus
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Nipah virus is caused by fruit bats and is potentially fatal to humans as well as animals.
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Transmission of the Nipah virus to humans can also happen from infected people through close physical contact, especially by contact with body fluids. Transmission through drinking of raw date palm sap, contaminated by bat urine or saliva, has also been identified.
Symptoms of Nipah virus
Along with respiratory illnesses, the virus can also cause fever, headache, cough, muscular pain, headache, fever, dizziness, and nausea.
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Treatment
Currently, there are no drugs or vaccines that specifically target Nipah virus infection. Nipah virus is one of the pathogens in the WHO Research & Development (R&D) blueprint of epidemic threats needing urgent R&D action. However, Ribavirin, an antiviral, may have a role in reducing mortality among patients with encephalitis caused by Nipah virus disease. Intensive supportive care with treatment of symptoms is the main approach to managing the infection in people.
