Nipah Virus in Kerala: Two Deaths Reported – Understanding Its Causes, Symptoms, and Prevention Measures

Causes, Symptoms, and Prevention of Nipah Virus: Two Fatalities Reported in Kerala

The Kerala Health Minister conducted a high-level meeting on Tuesday after two people were killed by the Nipah virus in Kozhikode, and these two deaths confirm that it happened by the Nipah virus from the Kerala Kozhikode District, said Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday. The Kerala Health Minister conducted a high-level meeting on Tuesday after two people were killed by the Nipah virus in Kozhikode, and these two deaths confirm that it happened by the Nipah virus from the Kerala Kozhikode District, said Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday.

• The samples were sent to the Virology Institute, along with those of the deceased and his relatives.

• The Kerala government is still waiting for the official confirmation of the National Institute of Virology, and the samples have already been sent for testing.

• The Health Minister of Kerala, Veena George, told the media that after the announcement of the Union Minister, she was meeting with officials and raising concerns at the Pune National Institute of Virology about samples sent from Kozhidoke being still in the process.

What is the Nipah Virus and how it Cause

Nipha Virus is a bat-bronze zoonotic virus that causes Nipah Virus infection in humans and other animals, a disease with a high mortality rate. Numerous disease outbreaks were caused by the Nipah virus.

• Contact directly with the infected animals, such as bats and pigs, and their body fluids, like blood, urine, or saliva.

• Consumption of food products that are contaminated by the fluids of the bodies of the infected animals, like palm sap or fruit contaminated by the bat

Symptoms

Nipah viruses cause illness in humans, and the infection with NiV is associated with encephalitis and swelling of the brain, and it can cause mild, severe, and even death.

• Respiratory illness

• Fever

• Headache

• Altered Consciousness

• SeiZures

• Coma

Prevention

Wash your hands daily with soap and water, and avoid close contact with the pigs and bats. Do not take water or food contaminated by the bat.

Diagnose

To diagnose the Nipah virus, different tests are available. Laboratory tests can be conducted by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from the throat and nasal swabs of cerebrospinal fluid, urine, and blood.

Treatment

No specific treatment is available for the Nipah virus. There are no specific drugs or vaccines for the Nipah virus, as per the World Health Organization.

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