Nipah scare: Kerala issues alert as two people die in Kozhikode

After two "unnatural deaths" due to fever in Kozhikode, Kerala's Health Department issued an alert on Monday. Health officials are suspecting that the cause of these deaths could be the Nipah virus. These two deaths occurred at a private hospital in Kozhikode. 

Besides these two deaths, a total of four patients, including three children, are undergoing treatment at a hospital. Among them is a 22-year-old relative of one of the deceased. The relative is also in the intensive care unit of the hospital. 

Samples of the deceased and these patients have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. The presence of Nipah virus infection can be confirmed only after the reports come out to be positive.

State Health Minister Veena George held a high-level meeting and reviewed the situation. 

The health department has ramped up surveillance and taken preventive measures in the eastern section of Kozhikode district's Ayancheri and Maruthonkara villages. The distance between these two villages and Changaroth panchayat, where the 2018 Nipah outbreak was detected, is less than 15 kilometres. One case was reported in 2021 at Chathamangalam, 50 kilometres from Changaroth.

Previously, Kozhikode recorded two Nipah virus outbreaks, one in 2018 and another one in 2021. There were 23 cases in total during the first outbreak in 2018, and 17 people died due to the infection from this virus.

The Nipah virus infection can cause mild to severe disease, which can even lead to significant swelling in the brain (encephalitis), leading to death. As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), Nipah virus infection is a zoonotic illness that is transmitted to people from animals and can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly from person to person. The virus can also cause severe disease in animals such as pigs, resulting in significant economic losses for farmers.

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