The Nipah variant in Kerala has a high fatality rate but is less contagious. Explained

George further said that besides the teams from NIV, Pune, a group of epidemiologists would reach Kerala from Chennai today to conduct a survey.

Considering the serious nature of the disease, the Kozhikode government has declared seven village panchayats as containment zones.

Meanwhile, Nipah virus (NiV) is a zoonotic virus (it is transmitted from animals to humans) and can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly between humans. In infected people it causes a range of diseases, from asymptomatic (subclinical) infection to acute respiratory disease and fatal encephalitis. The virus can also cause serious illness in animals such as pigs, resulting in significant economic losses for farmers.

Although Nipah virus has caused only a few known outbreaks in Asia, it infects a wide range of animals and causes serious illness and deaths in humans, making it a public health problem. The Nipah virus was first discovered in 1999 during an outbreak among pig farmers in Malaysia. No new outbreaks have been reported in Malaysia since 1999.

Kerala Health Minister Veena George said the variant found in the state has a high fatality rate but is less contagious. In a Facebook post, Kozhikode District Collector A Geetha said the panchayats declared as containment zones included Atanchery, Maruthonkara, Tiruvallur, Kuttiyadi, Kayakkodi, Villyapalli and Kavilumpara.

Kerala Health Minister Veena George told reporters that the Health Ministry had contacted the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and assured of the availability of monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of Nipah patients admitted to a private hospital.

The health department has already issued an alert in Kozhikode after two deaths due to Nipah infection.

The samples were sent to the Pune Institute of Virology for Nipah’s confirmation even as the government stepped up efforts to contain the virus in the district.

The Health Minister informed that containment operations had been initiated in advance, adding that contact tracing and surveillance operations were also underway in the area.

George held a high-level meeting with district officials last night to take stock of the situation and take necessary measures to control the risk of spreading the virus.

The Health Minister along with Public Works Minister Mohammed Riyaz reached Kozhikode earlier on Tuesday to coordinate the containment measures with the district administration.

An emergency meeting was held with district MLAs, people’s representatives of the affected areas, the district collector, senior health department officials and other officials in the district. Nipah virus infection in humans causes a range of clinical manifestations, from asymptomatic infection (subclinical) to acute respiratory infection and fatal encephalitis. Infected people initially develop symptoms such as fever, headache, myalgia (muscle aches), vomiting, and sore throat.

Updated: Sep 13, 2023 3:12 PM IST