Authorities in the southern state of Kerala of India closed some schools and offices and declared containment zones in more than seven villages after two deaths were reported from the rare and deadly virus Nipa. One adult and one child remain contaminated and are hospitalized and more than 130 people have so far been tested for the virus, which is transmitted to humans through direct contact with the body fluids of infected bats, pigs or other people, according to an official from the Kerala health department.
One person died this month, another death occurred on August 30, while two people from the same family, including a child, are infected and hospitalized. Authorities have declared containment zones in seven villages in Kozhikode district, closing schools, banks and other institutions. Three teams from the federal government, including the National Institute of Virology, are scheduled to arrive in Kerala today for more checks, said the official, who did not want to be named as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The deadly Nipah virus that causes one inflammation that swells the brain it was first identified in 1999 during an outbreak affecting pig farmers and others who came into close contact with pigs in Malaysia and Singapore.
This is the fourth time epidemic of Nipah in the state of Kerala since 2018. The first and worst outbreak started with a 26-year-old man who was taken to hospital with fever and cough. His relatives and other patients were then infected before this man was diagnosed with Nipah.
Twenty-one of the 23 infected ended up. In 2019 and 2021, Nipah claimed the lives of two more people.
Reuters research released in May listed parts of Kerala among the regions most at risk globally from outbreaks of bat-linked viruses. Extensive deforestation and urbanization have brought human populations into close contact with wildlife.
Source: News Beast
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