In a race to stop the spread of the rare and deadly Nipah virus, which has killed two people, Kerala shut some schools, offices, and public transport on Wednesday. The state government on Wednesday evening said at least 706 people, including 153 health workers, were undergoing tests to check the spread of the virus. Results were awaited.
The total number of active cases of the infection has gone up to three with the confirmation of one more positive case of Nipah in Kozhikode on Wednesday.
Two infected people have died since August 30 in Kerala’s fourth outbreak of the virus since 2018, forcing authorities to declare containment zones in at least eight Kozhikode villages.
58 wards across nine panchayats in Vadakara taluk of Kozhikode district have been declared as containment zones. Essential services and only entry and exit are allowed in these areas. Shops selling essential goods will be allowed to function from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. No time bar has been given for pharmacies and health centres.
While the outbreak this time took place in Kozhikode, minister Veena George said the entire Kerala is prone to getting such infections according to WHO and ICMR studies.
The Nipah strain found in Kerala this time is the Bangladesh variant which is less infectious but has a high mortality rate. This strain spreads from human to human.
Neighbouring Tamil Nadu state announced that travellers coming from Kerala would be subjected to medical tests and those with flu symptoms would be isolated.
The central government has rushed a team of five experts to monitor the situation in Kerala. The state government has been conducting rigorous surveillance and contact tracing, maintaining containment zones, and providing medical aid to those infected. Scientists from NIV, Pune, are also conducting bat surveys as part of the ongoing efforts.
Earlier, on Tuesday, the state Health Department issued an alert for Kannur, Wayanad, and Malappuram districts after the confirmation of Nipah infection in Kozhikode.
The Nipah virus was first identified in 1999 during an outbreak of illness among pig farmers and others in close contact with the animals in Malaysia and Singapore.
Within India, outbreaks have occurred in the geographically distant states of West Bengal, near the Bangladesh border, and Kerala in the south. The virus is notorious for its high fatality rate, as evidenced in outbreaks in Siliguri (2001), Nadia (2007), and Kozhikode, Kerala (2018).
