Following the death of a 14-year-old kid from Kerala’s Mallapuram district from the Nipah virus, the Centre launched an immediate public health reaction. Acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) signs were present in the youngster, who was first hospitalised at a hospital in Perinthalmanna and then moved to a higher health centre in Kozhikode.
But eventually, the illness claimed the patient’s life. Additional tests by the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune confirmed a Nipah virus infection.
Active case search and contact tracing are two of the four immediate public health actions the Union Health Ministry has instructed the Kerala government to conduct.
Active case search and contact tracing are two of the four immediate public health actions the Union Health Ministry has instructed the Kerala government to conduct.
The state administration has been instructed to actively examine the neighborhood, the family of the confirmed case, and other places with comparable topography to find other cases. To look for symptoms and prevent the virus from spreading further, the state should track down all contacts the detected patient had during the previous 12 days.
The alert states that contacts of the confirmed case should be placed under tight quarantine, and any suspected cases exhibiting symptoms should also be isolated to prevent the spread of the virus.
To guarantee early discovery and reaction, samples from possible contacts and suspects should be gathered and sent for laboratory testing.
A multi-member joint outbreak response team from the Union Health Ministry’s National “One Health Mission” would be sent to assist the state administration in handling the outbreak. This group will offer technical support, help uncover epidemiological connections, and investigate the case.
According to the ministry, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) delivered monoclonal antibodies for patient care at the state’s request. In Kozhikode, a mobile Biosafety Level-3 (BSL-3) laboratory also arrived to evaluate further samples from contacts. However, the boy’s “poor general condition” prevented the administration of the monoclonal antibodies.
Kerala has already seen Nipah virus epidemics, with the most recent one happening in the Kozhikode district in 2023. Fruit bats are the main carriers of the virus, and eating fruits tainted by bats can infect humans.
