Fruit bats seen hanging on tree branches in daylight. Bats are believed to be one in every of the carriers of Nipah virus, a zoonotic disease that spreads from animals to humans.
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Health authorities within the southern Indian state of Kerala are on high alert following the most recent flare-up of the deadly Nipah virus.
It comes after a 14-year-old boy died from an infection over the weekend and as authorities race to trace those that got here into contact with him.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George said Tuesday that the close relatives of the teenager had tested negative for the virus, in accordance with local media reports. She added that precautionary measures reminiscent of wearing face masks in public areas couldn’t be lifted yet.
The state’s health minister has previously said that 60 people had been identified as being within the high-risk category of getting the disease. All of those identified as high-risk are being tested for the virus.
The Nipah virus, which partly inspired the fictional “MEV-1” virus within the 2011 Hollywood film “Contagion,” is considered some of the dangerous pathogens circulating within the wild.
First identified 25 years ago in Malaysia, Nipah is estimated to have a case fatality rate as high as 75% and has been cited as having the potential to spark one other pandemic. There’s currently no vaccine to stop infection and no treatment to cure it.
The Nipah virus is transmitted to humans from animals reminiscent of fruit bats or pigs. The virus is thought to cause a lethal brain-swelling fever in humans.
The World Health Organization says human infections can range from asymptomatic infection to acute respiratory infection.
Medical examiner wearing protective gear shifts a girl with symptoms of Nipah virus to an isolation ward at a government hospital in Kozhikode in south Indian state of Kerala on September 16, 2023.
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Dr. Roderico H. Ofrin, WHO Representative to India, said Tuesday that the most recent Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala appeared to have a “low risk” of further transmission.
“Energetic and extensive contact tracing was carried out by the Kerala government. 60 people had a detailed contact with the 14-year-old who died and thus were categorized as high-risk contacts. They’re all being tested for the virus,” Ofrin told CNBC in an emailed statement.
“Considering transmission dynamics of the Nipah virus itself and the present assessment and the caseloads, this outbreak seems to have a low risk of further transmission.”
Nipah virus outbreaks
Ofrin said the explanation why Nipah virus outbreaks have been detected in Kerala was “multi-factorial” but emphasized that the southern Indian state has an “excellent” system for identifying, detecting and registering all suspected cases, resulting in immediate public health measures.
Prior to the most recent flare-up, Kerala’s state government had reported 4 separate Nipah virus outbreaks within the region since 2018.
Medical experts wearing protective gear shift individuals who have been involved with an individual infected with the Nipah virus to an isolation center at a goverment hospital in Kozikode, in India’s Kerala state on September 14, 2023.
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In an investigation published last yr, Reuters reported that extensive tree loss and rapid urbanization in Kerala over recent many years had created ideal conditions for the Nipah virus to emerge.
A separate report identified Kerala as having a few of the world’s leading so-called “jump zones,” a term used to explain the areas which are most conducive to bat-borne viruses infecting humans.
India’s National Centre for Disease Control, which leads on outbreak response, was not immediately available to supply an update when contacted by CNBC on Wednesday.
