An official at the Indian National Institute of Virology said on Tuesday that the state of Kerala had recorded two deaths from the Nipah virus, Reuters reported.
On September 4, 2021, the Kerala Department of Health reported an isolated case of Nipah virus disease in Kozhikode district of Kerala state in India.
On August 29, a 12-year-old boy developed a low-grade fever, and his family sought care at a local health care facility. On August 31, the boy was transferred between several hospitals due to the deterioration of his condition. Then, the boy’s presence of the Nipah virus was confirmed in plasma, cerebrospinal fluid, and serum samples. On September 5, the patient passed away and his body was safely buried and cremated on the same day in Kozhikode.
Methods of transmission of the virus
According to the World Health Organization, Nipah disease causes a relatively high death rate out of the total number of cases infected with it. It is a zoonotic disease that originated in the regions of Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific, noting that the recent outbreak of the disease is its fifth in India.
The virus is spreading where fruit bats of the flying fox family are widely found, which represent the natural host of the virus. The disease was first discovered with an outbreak in Malaysia in 1998. The disease can be transmitted through direct contact with infected animals or consumption of contaminated food products, or through close contact with an infected person. The disease previously spread in a seasonal pattern during the winter and spring, and was linked to several factors such as the breeding season of bats, their increased shedding of viruses, and the advent of the fruit harvest season. The death rate out of all cases infected with the disease ranges between 40 and 100 percent.
No vaccines available
Although no licensed vaccines or treatments are available for Nipah virus, experimental monoclonal antibodies have been developed to treat the disease for humanitarian purposes, according to the World Health Organization. Management of cases should focus on providing patients with supportive care measures. Intensive supportive care is recommended for patients with severe respiratory and neurological complications.
Transmission between animals
There is evidence of the spread of Nipah virus disease among several types of domestic animals, including dogs, cats, goats, sheep, and horses. Nipah virus disease can be prevented, according to the World Health Organization, by avoiding exposure to bats and sick animals in areas where the disease is endemic, avoiding consuming fruits partially eaten by bats, and avoiding drinking raw date palm sap. The risk of infection and international transmission of the disease by fruits or fruit products, such as raw date palm sap (and its extracts and juice) contaminated with the urine or saliva of infected fruit bats, can also be prevented by washing the fruit well and peeling it before consuming it.
WHO recommendations
In healthcare settings, the World Health Organization recommends that staff consistently implement standard infection prevention and control measures when caring for patients to prevent the spread of nosocomial infections. It recommends that health care workers caring for a patient suspected of being infected with Nipah virus disease immediately contact local and national experts to obtain guidance and arrange for laboratory tests.
The organization recommends that safe and dignified burial practices be observed for all confirmed and suspected cases of Nipah virus disease.
2023-09-12 16:01:02
#Nipah #virus #caused #deaths #India
