Nipah outbreak: No need to be apprehensive, says Kerala govt

Nipah is a zoonotic virus (transmission of virus from animal to humans), which can be spread through contaminated food or directly between humans on exposure to secretions. The Nipah virus was first identified in 1998 during an outbreak of illness among pig farmers in Malaysia and Singapore. Scientists suspect Nipah has existed among flying foxes for millennia and fear a mutated, highly transmissible strain will emerge from bats.

Infected people initially develop symptoms that include fever, respiratory distress, headaches, and vomiting, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. Encephalitis and seizures can also occur in severe cases, leading to coma. So far, the “fruit bat” has only been identified as the animal host reservoir from which the virus can spread the disease to other animals like pigs, dogs, cats, goats.

As per Reuters, there are no vaccines to prevent or cure the infection, which has a mortality rate of between about 70%. The usual treatment is to provide supportive care. "Intensive supportive care is recommended to treat severe respiratory and neurologic complications," says the World Health Organization. The virus is on the WHO's research and development list of pathogens with epidemic potential.

As per the US Centre for Disease Control, people in areas with Nipah outbreak should:
> Practice handwashing regularly with soap and water
> Avoid contact with sick bats or pigs
> Avoid areas where bats are known to roost
> Avoid eating or drinking products that could be contaminated by bats, such as raw date palm sap, raw fruit, or fruit that is found on the ground
> Avoid contact with the blood or body fluids of any person known to be infected with NiV

The Nipah strain found in Kerala this time is the Bangladesh variant which is less infectious but has a high mortality rate. This strain spreads from human to human. In 2018, an outbreak in Kerala claimed 21 lives, with other outbreaks in 2019 and 2021.