Nipah in Kerala is Bangladesh variant with ‘high mortality rate’. Check causes, symptoms and treatment of the infection

One adult and one child are still infected and in hospital, and more than 130 people have so far been tested for the virus, which is transmitted to humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected bats, pigs or other people, an official from Kerala’s health ministry said.

Seven village panchayats — Atanchery, Maruthonkara, Tiruvallur, Kuttiyadi, Kayakkodi, Villyapalli, and Kavilumpara — in Kerala’s Kozhikode district have been declared as containment zones.

Meanwhile, teams from National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune would arrive in Kerala during the day to set up a mobile lab at Kozhikode Medical College to test for Nipah and carry out survey of bats, the state government said in the assembly on Wednesday. Here’s all you need to know about the virus

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Nipah virus is caused by fruit bats and is potentially fatal to humans as well as animals.

Transmission of the Nipah virus to humans can also happen from infected people through close physical contact, especially by contact with body fluids. Transmission through drinking of raw date palm sap, contaminated by bat urine or saliva, has also been identified.

Symptoms of Nipah virus

Along with respiratory illnesses, the virus can also cause fever, headache, cough, muscular pain, headache, fever, dizziness, and nausea.

Treatment

Currently, there are no drugs or vaccines that specifically target Nipah virus infection. Nipah virus is one of the pathogens in the WHO Research & Development (R&D) blueprint of epidemic threats needing urgent R&D action. However, Ribavirin, an antiviral, may have a role in reducing mortality among patients with encephalitis caused by Nipah virus disease. Intensive supportive care with treatment of symptoms is the main approach to managing the infection in people.

Updated: 13 Sep 2023, 12:48 PM IST