Nipah situation is under control in Kerala: Health Minister Veena George

Nipah situation is under control in Kerala: Health Minister Veena George

On Monday, Kerala's health minister Veena George announced that the Nipah virus had been contained in the southern state of India, with no new cases reported over the past few days.

Two individuals in Kerala have lost their lives to the virus. To address this, the state government has initiated a specialized outpatient department (OPD) dedicated to Nipah. While the virus typically has a 21-day incubation period, the Kerala government has extended the monitoring period to 42 days, which is twice the length of the incubation period, following the most recent positive case.

She also mentioned that a total of 1,233 individuals were included in the contact list, with 23 of them already admitted to the medical college. In addition, 34,167 house visits were conducted as part of the preventive measures.

She also mentioned that samples from 36 bats were collected and dispatched to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for confirmation of the virus's presence in these mammals.

Nipah virus, which causes severe respiratory disease and encephalitis in humans, is classified as a Biosafety Level 4 (PSL-4) pathogen. It initially appeared in Malaysia and Singapore in the late 1990s.

The Minister added that both the Indian Council of Medical Research and the World Health Organization have identified potential outbreaks of Nipah virus in nine states in India.

The Nipah virus, a highly contagious pathogen, was detected intermittently in Kerala in both 2018 and 2021. A study conducted in 2021 revealed that the virus was prevalent among fruit bats across numerous districts in Kerala.

The Tamil Nadu Health Department, bordering Kerala, has increased surveillance at all six checkposts.