Nipah Virus Alert In Kerala's Kozhikode After 2 'Unnatural Deaths', Another Critical

Two suspected cases of the deadly Nipah virus (NiV) have emerged in Kerala's Kozhikode district, following the 'unnatural deaths' of two persons who had been suffering from fever.

The deaths occurred at a private hospital, and it has been reported that a relative of one of the deceased is currently in critical condition. The test results for this patient are expected to be available tomorrow.

According to onmanoramaonline reports, a private hospital in the city is currently providing isolation care to three individuals from the same family. These individuals have familial ties to a 49-year-old resident of Maruthonkara who unfortunately passed away on August 30.

The isolated persons includes two children, aged four and nine, along with a 25-year-old man who happens to be the deceased person's brother-in-law. It has been reported that one of the children is in a critical condition.

It must be noted that on 19 May 2018, a Nipah virus disease outbreak was reported from Kozhikode district of Kerala. This was the first NiV outbreak in South India.

Nipah virus is categorised as a zoonotic virus, signifying its origin in animals before crossing over to humans. In humans, it can lead to severe respiratory infections and encephalitis, commonly referred to as brain fever.

Following an informal convention of naming viruses based on the location of their initial detection (a practice the World Health Organization [WHO] has attempted to reform by assigning Greek letter names to Covid-19 variants), Nipah was named after the Malaysian village where the first instances of this previously unknown disease were identified in 1998-99. Singapore also had its share of initial Nipah virus cases.

The natural host of the Nipah virus is believed to be the fruit bat, commonly known as flying foxes, belonging to the Pteropodidae family. These bats inhabit trees and are prevalent in South and Southeast Asia, often in close proximity to "markets, places of worship, schools, and tourist spots."

Nipah virus can spread through various means. It is primarily believed to infect humans when they consume fruits or consume raw date palm juice, which can become contaminated by the saliva or urine of an infected fruit bat. Additionally, instances of Nipah infection have been observed among individuals who come into contact with bats residing in trees.

Another mode of transmission involves an intermediate host. The outbreak in Malaysia-Singapore in 1998-99 is thought to have originated from contact between humans and sick pigs or their contaminated tissues. The WHO has stated that "Transmission is thought to have occurred via unprotected exposure to secretions from the pigs or unprotected contact with the tissue of a sick animal."