The deadly Nipah virus kills nearly 75 per cent of the people it infects, but the circumstances under which the bat species, known as the Indian flying fox, transmits the virus to humans has remained a mystery.
Coronavirus was first reported to the World Health Organisation from the Wuhan city of China on December 31. Since then, the virus has brought the entire world in a lockdown situation and India is no different.
A year after two north Kerala districts were hit by the deadly Nipah that claimed 17 lives, the virus had re-surfaced in the southern state in June this year with a 23-year-old student here being infected.
He had returned from Ernakulam recently with complaints of fever and was treated at a government hospital in Cuddalore from where he was referred to Jipmer for further examination on Monday.
After one positive case and over 300 suspects, the scare of the second attack of Nipah virus in Kerala is over, state Health Minister K.K. Shailaja told the media on Saturday.
The medical team decided to investigate the cause of the virus after the patient -- a young student -- admitted that he had eaten guavas last month.
A case of Nipah was reported in Ernakulam District in Kerala. Condition of the infected college student is now stable.
The second Nipah outbreak in Kerala has been contained to just one person, but around 47 people, who risked their lives and did yeoman services in the 2018 May outbreak when Nipah struck here for the first time, have been up in arms against the Pinarayi Vijayan government.
Nipah, a rare and often deadly disease which is back in the news with a student in Kerala diagnosed with the infection, is a zoonotic virus which means it is transmitted from animals such as bats or pigs to humans, and can also spread through contaminated food and people-to-people contact.
In the absence of a vaccine, the only way to reduce or prevent infection in people is by raising awareness of the risk factors and educating people about the measures they can take to reduce exposure to the Nipah virus.
"The blood and serum samples of all six suspected patients have tested negative for Nipah virus infection," a senior Health Ministry official said.
A total of 311 people from various districts are under observation, Health Minister K K Shailaja said.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan warned of stringent action against those who spread misinformation and urged people to follow the instructions of the health department.
In 1999, pig farmers in Malaysia's Sungai Nipah were diagnosed with a curious disease which started off with mild flu like symptoms -- fever, headache etc. Initially, the virus was prevented with a Japanese encephalitis antidote, but the remedy was not entirely successful.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan held an urgent meeting here and assured the state of Centre's support.
The state that witnesses 12 deaths to NiV, with 22 positive cases reported from Kozhikode and Malappuram districts last year in May, was waiting the blood reports of a youth since Monday
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Monday that the Kerala government was taking precautionary actions and closely monitoring the situation after a suspected case of Nipah virus was reported in Kochi.
As Kerala awaits blood report of the youth suspected to be infected by the Nipah virus, state administration has swung into action.
Kerala faced one of its worst health scares in 2018 when the virus broke out.
Know what is Nipah virus infection and what are its symptoms, causes, and treatment in detail.
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