With six confirmed cases of Nipah virus, Kerala has stepped up control measures to contain the deadly outbreak. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Thursday reportedly delivered the antibody requested by the state to combat the virus. With two deaths reported due to Nipah, Kerala is battling its fourth outbreak of the deadly virus.
In 2018, an outbreak in Kerala claimed 21 lives, with other outbreaks in 2019 and 2021. Nipah is a zoonotic virus transmitted from animals to humans, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The virus strain seen in the state was the Bangladesh variant that spreads from human to human and has a high mortality rate, though it is less infectious. There are no vaccines to prevent or cure the infection. The usual treatment is to provide supportive care. Infected people initially develop symptoms that include fever, respiratory distress, headaches, and vomiting.
It can also cause acute respiratory syndrome where the lungs cannot get enough oxygen to the body and fatal encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain, and seizures can also occur leading to coma. Goa needs to be on the alert against the virus.
