A boy died of Nipah virus in Kerala
Nipah virus has once again knocked in Kerala. A 14-year-old boy from the state’s Mallapuram district has died of Nipah virus. After the boy’s death, immediate steps have been taken by the Center. The central government has warned the Kerala government about this and instructed to start immediate measures. Let us tell you that the boy who showed symptoms of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) was initially admitted to a health center in Perinthalmanna and was later shifted to a better health center in Kozhikode. However, the patient later succumbed to the disease. After this, tests conducted by the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune confirmed the infection of Nipah virus.
The Ministry of Health has given this advice
The Union Health Ministry has advised the Kerala government to implement four immediate public health measures including active case finding and contact tracing of Nipah virus. The state government has been advised to conduct active case finding in the family, neighbourhood and surrounding areas of the confirmed case to identify any additional cases. The state has also been asked to trace the contacts of the identified case in the last 12 days to monitor symptoms and prevent further spread of the virus.
As per the ministry’s advisory, contacts of a confirmed case must be strictly isolated, and any suspect showing symptoms must be isolated to contain the virus.
Samples from potential contacts and suspects should be collected and taken for laboratory testing to ensure early detection and response.
To support the state government in managing the outbreak, a multi-member joint outbreak response team will be deployed from the national ‘One Health Mission’ of the Union Health Ministry. This team will assist in case investigation, identifying epidemiological linkages and providing technical support.
The ministry said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had sent monoclonal antibodies for patient management on the state’s request. A mobile biosafety level-3 (BSL-3) laboratory also reached Kozhikode to test additional samples from contacts. However, the boy could not be given monoclonal antibodies “due to his poor general condition”.
Nipah virus outbreaks have occurred in Kerala before, with the most recent outbreak occurring in Kozhikode district in 2023. The virus is primarily spread by fruit bats, and humans can become infected by consuming bat-contaminated fruits.
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