Kerala on alert after 14-year-old boy dies of Nipah virus

Health authorities in Kerala have issued an alert after a 14-year-old boy infected with Nipah virus died on July 21, just a day after he was diagnosed with the infection.

According to state Health Department officials, he had a fever ten days ago and was placed on ventilator support on July 19 at a private hospital in Kozhikode city of Kerala. After the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune confirmed that the boy had tested positive for the Nipah virus, he was taken to the Medical College Hospital on July 20.

Kerala Health Minister Veena George said that the boy was from the town of Pandikkad, and all who came into contact with him have been quarantined and tested.

George said that four people on the victim's contact list had developed Nipah symptoms. "One of them is critical and requires life support. Although the government medical college hospital in Kozhikode and the Virology Lab in Thiruvananthapuram have the necessary facilities for testing samples, a mobile lab from NIV-Pune would be brought to Malappuram for testing. All those in the high-risk category will have their samples examined, she said.

"An additional 60 individuals have been recognized as being at high risk of developing the condition," she added.

Nipah samples from seven people, including six of the victim's friends, came out negative. The minister said 330 people, including 68 health personnel, are under observation after they came into contact with the boy.

The Health Department has established a control room in Malappuram, and a district warning has been issued. People were instructed to wear masks, and a lockdown was proclaimed in certain portions of Pandikkad panchayat, where the boy lives, and nearby Anakkayam panchayat.

The Union Government has sent a "One Health" outbreak response team to Kerala to investigate the matter. The team will discover epidemiological links and offer technical help to the state. The government has encouraged the state to conduct a vigorous search for Nipah virus cases in the boy's household, surrounding locations, and areas with comparable topography.

The administration has also been ordered to trace all of the boy's contacts in the last 12 days. Strict quarantine for the contacts and isolation of those suspected of having the infection have been advised.

"A 14-year-old boy from Mallapuram had AES symptoms and was sent to a healthcare facility in Perinthalmanna before being moved to a higher health center in Kozhikode.

However, the patient eventually died from the condition. The samples were forwarded to NIV in Pune, where a Nipah virus infection was confirmed," the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said.

The state government recently announced that it will develop an action plan to avert a Nipah outbreak.

According to a report published in 2023, parts of Kerala are the most vulnerable to the virus in the world. The report discovered that Kerala, a tropical state with growing urbanization and tree loss, produced "ideal conditions for a virus like Nipah to emerge."

According to experts, habitat degradation causes animals to live closer to humans, allowing the virus to spread from animals to humans.

According to the World Health Organization, Nipah virus infection is a "zoonotic illness" that spreads from animals such as pigs and fruit bats to people. The WHO has classified the virus as a priority disease due to its potential to trigger an epidemic.

It can also be transmitted through contaminated food and contact with the infected person.

People infected with the virus may experience no symptoms at all, while others may exhibit acute respiratory problems. In severe situations, a Nipah infection can cause fatal encephalitis, a dangerous neurological disorder.

The symptoms of the infection include fever, headache, drowsiness, respiratory illness, vomiting, disorientation, and mental confusion. These signs and symptoms can lead to a coma within 24–48 hours.

The rate of death among people infected with the virus is high, as there is no treatment or vaccine to cure it. The treatment is confined to managing symptoms and providing supportive care.

Avoiding contact with sick pigs and bats in endemic areas, as well as not drinking raw date palm sap, can help prevent Nipah virus infections. There are no vaccines for humans or animals.

Since its initial revelation in 2018, the virus has been linked to dozens of deaths in Kerala state. In 2018, 17 of the 18 affected people died. One death was reported in 2021, with two in 2023. The death of the 14-year-old boy brings the overall number of Nipah-case deaths in Kerala to 21 since 2018.

Lini Puthussery, a 28-year-old nurse from Kozhikode's Perambra Taluk hospital who died in 2019 after treating the virus's first victim, was hailed as a hero by doctors and social media users. Lini was treating a family of three who were diagnosed with the virus, and she was said to have spent the entire night caring for them.

The infection was initially discovered in 1999 following an outbreak of encephalitis and respiratory illness among pig farmers and people who had direct contact with pigs in Malaysia and Singapore. The outbreak resulted in about 300 human cases and over 100 deaths. To put an end to it, over a million pigs were slaughtered, resulting in a massive trade loss for Malaysia.