Health authorities in Kerala have issued an alert in three districts -- Kozhikode, Malappuram and Palakkad after two suspected cases of the Nipah virus were detected.Kerala Health Minister Veena George said that the suspected cases of Nipah virus are from Palakkad and Malappuram districts.
"An alert has been issued in three districts of Kerala, namely Kozhikode, Malappuram and Palakkad, in connection with two new Nipah virus cases," she said.
The tests conducted at medical college hospitals in Malappuram and Kozhikode have confirmed the infections. Samples have also been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for further confirmation.
Even as a final confirmation is awaited, the government has directed officials to strengthen preventive measures to contain the spread of the virus.
The Health Minister said that 26 committees have been formed across districts to coordinate the response. Police support will be sought to prepare a contact list, and state and district-level helplines will be activated. District Collectors have been directed to make arrangements for declaring containment zones if required.
The National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, is the only lab in the country that cultures the Nipah virus. The virus, which is zoonotic in nature (transmitted from animals to humans), can also spread through contaminated food or directly between people.
The symptoms of the Nipah virus are fever, headaches, muscle pain, vomiting, sore throat, dizziness, altered consciousness, and Atypical pneumonia.
In infected people, it causes a range of illnesses from asymptomatic (subclinical) infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis. Nipah Virus Disease (NiVD) has a mortality rate of 50 per cent, making it one of the most dangerous viral diseases. -- ANI