Kerala Nipah Virus Advisory: It’s the third time in 5 years that the brain-damaging Nipah, which can spread from bats and pigs to humans, has surfaced Kerala s Kozhikode district. In a 2018 outbreak, 21 people died before it was contained.
A healthcare worker in Kerala, India, has been diagnosed with Nipah fever, bringing the total number of cases in the area to three. The Nipah virus is a zoonotic infection that can be transmitted from animals to humans, with bats being the natural host. Symptoms of the virus can range from mild to severe, including acute respiratory syndrome and encephalitis. There is currently no vaccine available, so treatment involves supportive care.
The Kerala government has assured its citizens that there is no need to be apprehensive about the Nipah outbreak in Kozhikode district, but caution needs to be exercised by people as they go about their daily activities. Two deaths were reported in the north Kerala district suspected to be due to Nipah,