Nipah outbreak: 9 die in Kerala, no treatment available; all we know so far

Kerala govt has made all necessary arrangements to stem the spread of panic due to the virus infection whose first outbreak was in Malaysia and has claimed as many as 300 lives since

Current Affairs News: The deadly Nipah virus (NiV), which has so far killed nine people in Kerala, is reported to be fast-spreading. While the state government has made all necessary arrangements to stem the spread of panic and sanctioned an emergency fund of Rs 2 million (Rs 20 lakh) to the Kozhikode Medical College to tackle the fever outbreak, the Centre on Monday sent a multi-disciplinary National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) team.

In a series of tweets on Monday evening, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's office said the "government is closely monitoring the spread of the Nipah virus. Health department is doing everything possible to save the lives of the infected & prevent the advance of virus".

CM Vijayan further assured that the state's health minister and labour minister were camped at the affected district of Kozhikode to lead the relief efforts. Private hospitals had also been instructed to not deny treatment to anyone suffering from fever, Vijayan said.

CM Pinarayi Vijayan has informed that Government is closely monitoring the spread of the Nipah virus. Health department is doing everything possible to save the lives of the infected & prevent the advance of virus.

How does Nipah virus infection spread and what are the symptoms?

The transmission of the Nipah virus takes place through the following means:

• Direct contact with infected bats

• Direct contact with infected pigs

• Direct contact with other NiV-infected people

The infection with Nipah virus is associated with encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), says the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The tell-tale signs of somebody having been infected by the Nipah virus are the following:

• An infected person shows symptoms of fever and headache in 3-14 days of exposure and an incubation period of five to 14 days

• Clinical signs are fever, headache, dizziness and vomiting, followed by drowsiness, disorientation and mental confusion

• More than 50 per cent of the patients face a reduced level of consciousness and prominent brain-stem dysfunction

• Some patients have a respiratory illness during the early part of their infections, and half of the patients with severe neurological signs also show pulmonary signs

According to Dr Atul Gogia, senior consultant, Department of Medicine, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital Nipah is just another viral infection that affects the respiratory and central nervous systems with symptoms like drowsiness. "Like most other viral infections, Nipah also has no treatment and can only be managed through intensive supportive care," he says. The senior doctor does not rule out the possibility of an infected person travelling to other parts of the country and spreading the disease, but he affirms that at present there is no threat in other parts of the country.

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