Nipah virus back, student tests positive in Kerala

Hyderabad: In view of a case of Nipah virus reported in Kerala, city health officials recommend that one avoids consuming raw date palm sap or toddy and not enter abandoned wells, to be on the safe side. The Telangana state public health and welfare department confirmed that there are no cases of the virus reported so far in the state.

Joint director of the Epidemics Cell of the Telangana Health Department, Dr P. Vikram Kumar, said, “Nipah is a virus which commonly affects animals like bats, pigs, dogs, horses and others. Spread of Nipah virus to humans may occur after close contact with other Nipah infected people, infected bats, or infected pigs. Bat secretions laden with virus can infect people during fruit-tree climbing, eating/handling contaminated fallen fruits or consuming raw date palm sap/juice or toddy.”

He added that human to human infection can occur from close contact with persons affected with the virus as when providing care for or being in close contact with infected persons and in a hospital setting if appropriate personal protective equipment is not used.

“Handling of dead bodies suspected of death due to Nipah virus should be done in accordance with the government advisory. During this emotional moment, traditional rituals and practices may need to be modified to prevent the exposure of family members to the disease,” Dr Kumar advised.

This is the fourth outbreak reported in India, with previous ones having occurred in 2001 (45 deaths in Siliguri, West Bengal), in 2007 (5 deaths in Nadia district of West Bengal), and in 2018 (17 deaths in Kerala).

On Tuesday, Kerala health minister K.K. Shailaja confirmed that a 23-year-old college student has been infected with the Nipah virus in Kochi.  The government has so far listed at least 86 people the Kerala student came in contact with recently. They have been kept under observation.

According to WHO, there is no vaccine currently available for either humans or animals and NiV-infected patients are currently limited to supportive care (i.e., rest, fluid intake) to help manage symptoms.

Early treatment with the antiviral drug ribavirin can reduce the duration of fever and the severity of the disease.

However, how well this treatment cures the disease or improves survival is still uncertain.

Telangana director of Medical Education Dr K. Ramesh Reddy said that there is no need for the public to panic.

“We are fully geared up to handle any emergencies as we were last year during the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala. There were three suspected cases of Nipah and we immediately sent the samples to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. All the three reports showed negative.”  He however said precautions must be taken by the public.

Five others were also put under close observation in isolation wards after they exhibited symptoms of the deadly disease on Tuesday.

“We received the report from the National Institute of Virology, Pune, which confirmed the Nipah virus infection. There is no need for panic as we’ve already taken elaborate measures to tackle the emergency,” health minister K. K. Shailaja told reporters here.

Four, including a close friend of him and three nurses who treated him initially, were shifted to the isolation ward of the Kalamassery Medical College with symptoms like fever and sore throat.

An outsider admitted with the disease symptoms was also shifted there.

A relative of him, a native of Ezhikkara near North Paravur, too will be moved here shortly.

The virus infection outbreak was reported in Kozhikode in May last year with 18 confirmed cases and 17 deaths.

There is no vaccine or proven medicine available for the treatment of the Nipah virus infection, though it can be controlled through proper preventive measures.