- Friday, April 26, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
AT a time when the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc in the southern Indian state of Kerala, its authorities have met yet another serious health challenge. The outbreak of the Nipah virus, which is not related to Covid, has started posing a major threat and the state authorities are racing to contain it. Recently, a 12-year-old boy died from the deadly virus, prompting both the governments in Kerala and New Delhi to step up efforts to trace his contacts. New infections have also been confirmed.
The boy, who died this weekend, was admitted to a hospital a week ago with high fever. As his condition deteriorated and doctors suspected inflammation of the brain (encephalitis), his blood samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune in the western state of Maharashtra where tests confirmed a Nipah infection.
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Officials thereafter sped up the contact-tracking efforts, identifying, quarantining and testing people who may have come into contact with the boy. According to Kerala’s health minister Veena George, 251 people who came into contact with the boy have been identified by Monday (6). All of them were kept in isolation.
George said 11 of the 38 people isolated at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital showed symptoms.
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Two healthcare staff members who came into contact with the boy were already exhibiting signs of Nipah infection and were admitted to a hospital. Their blood samples were sent for testing.
Like the coronavirus, Nipah is also a zoonotic virus — that is transmitted from animals to humans. The transmission generally occurs when humans either come into direct contact with the animals or consume contaminated food. However, cases of human-to-human transmission of Nipah have also been reported, CBS News reported.
The Kerala government has raised an alert in districts like Kozhikode, Malappuram and Kannur, the Indian Express reported. George has also asked the authorities to carry out a door-to-door survey in the containment zone.
