According to government officials, a fresh epidemic of the deadly Nipah virus, which so far claimed the lives of two individuals and infected at least five more, fought off in the Indian state of Kerala.
Schools have closed in the affected Kozhikode district, containment zones have established in a number of communities, and 950 contacts have found, 213 of whom deemed to be “high risk.” The fifth sick individual has identified as a 24-year-old healthcare worker, according to Kerala’s Health Minister Veena George. According to official media, a 9-year-old who infected is still on ventilator.
Pinarayi Vijayan, the chief minister of Kerala, issued a message on social media urging citizens to “face this situation with caution” and “fully cooperate with the restrictions” in order to contain the disease instead of panicking. Since 2018, Kerala has seen four Nipah outbreaks, with the most recent one occurring in 2021 while the state was also dealing with a spike in instances of covid-19.
The Nipah virus has been classified as a priority illness by the World Health Organization because to its potential for epidemic spread and an estimated mortality rate of between 40 and 75 percent. According to Indian media, the strain discovered in Kerala, also known as the Bangladesh strain, has a high fatality rate but is not as contagious.
How does the Nipah virus spread? What is it?
During an epidemic among pig farmers in Malaysia in 1999, the Nipah virus (NiV) found. It is believed that infected cattle and their secretions were the source of the workers’ viral exposure.
The WHO states that fruit bats, commonly called “flying foxes,” are the Nipah virus’s native host. The virus may spread from animals to people, often from pigs or bats, or it can spread from people to people through direct contact.
What are the Nipah virus’s symptoms?
The condition has a wide range of symptoms. Fever and headaches, nausea, sore throat, and muscular pains are some of the milder symptoms.
Patients who have severe instances may also have respiratory problems and acute illnesses like encephalitis (brain inflammation). Seizures have also mentioned as a side effect, which might result in personality changes or a coma.
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