Nipah virus: Kerala announces number of measures to prevent contagion

Nipah virus: Two people have died in Kerala due to the virus and two others are undergoing treatment in a private hospital after testing positive

The Kerala government has announced a number of measures to prevent the spread of Nipah infection after it killed two people and infected two others in Kozhikode.

Considering the serious nature of the disease, the Kozhikode administration declared seven village panchayats as containment zones. In a Facebook post, Kozhikode District Collector A Geetha said that the panchayats declared as containment zones included Atanchery, Maruthonkara, Tiruvallur, Kuttiyadi, Kayakkodi, Villyapalli, and Kavilumpara.

Nipah virus: What measures have been announced to contain the virus?

Geetha said that no travel in or out of these containment zones will be allowed till further notice. The police have been asked to cordon off these areas.

Only stores selling essential commodities and medical supplies will be allowed to function. Stores selling essential goods will be allowed to function from 7 am to 5 pm. No time bar has been given for pharmacies and health centres.

Local self-government institutions and village offices can function with minimum staff.

Banks, other government or quasi-government institutions, educational institutions, and anganwadis should not operate.

The public has been asked to use online services and avoid going to local self-government institutions.

Buses or vehicles plying on national highways through the containment zones should not stop in the affected areas.

Directions regarding this should be issued by the regional transport officer and district transport officer.

All should maintain social distancing and use masks and sanitiser in the containment zones.

Nipah virus: The story so far

Earlier this month, a private hospital in Kerala reported two deaths. The first death took place on August 30 and the second death on September 11. The death of the first person was initially considered a death due to the comorbidity of liver cirrhosis.

Later after the testing of his sample, the Centre and later the state government confirmed it was due to Nipah virus.

Currently, the state has two other active cases of the virus. One is the nine-year-old son of the man who died on August 30 and the other is his 24-year-old brother-in-law. Both the cases were detected on Tuesday.

Has Kerala reported cases of the Nipah virus earlier?

Earlier in Kerala there was a Nipah virus outbreak in the Kozhikode and Malappuram districts in 2018. Later in 2021, a case of Nipah virus was reported in Kozhikode.

How is the Nipah virus caused?

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Nipah Virus is caused by fruit bats and is potentially fatal to humans as well as animals.

What are the Nipah virus' symptoms?

Along with respiratory illness, the Nipah virus is also known to cause fever, muscular pain, headache, fever, dizziness, and nausea.

NIV Pune teams to reack Kerala today

The state government on Wednesday said that teams from National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune would arrive in Kerala during the day to set up a mobile lab at Kozhikode Medical College to test for Nipah and carry out survey of bats.

According to the state health minister Veena George, the virus strain seen in Kerala was the Bangladesh variant that spreads from human to human and has a high mortality rate, though it is less infectious.

Besides the teams from NIV, Pune, a group of epidemiologists would reach Kerala today from Chennai to carry out a survey.

Additionally, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has agreed to fly down the monoclonal antibodies that are required to treat Nipah patients.

(With agency inputs)