Nipah Virus on the Prowl in Northern Coastal Kerala
Measures to combat the virus’ spread are in place, but are these enough?
Weeks after the devastating landslides in Kerala’s Wayanad region, there has been an outbreak of the Nipah Virus in the state’s northern coastal district of Malapurram. Kerala’s Health Minister – Veena George – has confirmed that 175 individuals have been detected with the dreaded infection thus far. Of these, it is disheartening to know that 74 persons are healthcare workers, who are themselves in need of urgent care.
The Hon’ble Minister added that according to informed reports, 126 residents of the district are on the “primary contact” list and 49 have been deemed “secondary contacts”. But most worrying is that 104 of those infected by the virus are believed to be “high-risk”, which is especially scary considering that the virus claimed its first fatality on September 9th. What’s more, the affected Malapurram is Kerala’s most populous district, accounting for 13 per cent of the state’s human volume.
Fruit bats are the hosts and carriers of the Nipah Virus which they pass on to humans, who in turn cause proliferation of disease when the infected people come into direct contact with others. Testing and treatment is underway in several hospitals in Malappuram, including at the Menjeri Medical College. However, no vaccine is as yet available to pre-empt a possible viral epidemic, which earlier showed face in 2018.
Meanwhile, safety protocol is being enforced across the district with authorities declaring five wards as containment zones. Here, all public places including educational institutions, anganwadis and cinema halls have been closed till further notice, with restricted numbers allowed at weddings and funerals and facial mask-wearing being made compulsory. One only hopes that an antidote comes along soon and that the virus’ looming threat subsides.
