After the death of two people due to Nipah virus in Kozhikode, Kerala, an alert has been issued in 3 more districts Kannur, Wayanad and Malappuram. 7 gram panchayats here have been made containment zones. Wearing masks has been made mandatory in containment zone areas and hospitals.
According to the news agency, the Kozhikode District Magistrate has ordered closure of all educational institutes, Anganwadi centres, banks and government institutions in 7 panchayats. Only shops selling medicines and essential goods are allowed to open from 7 am to 5 pm.
So far, 4 cases of Nipah virus have been reported in Kerala, in which two people have died. On Wednesday, the state government told in the Assembly that the team of National Institute of Virology (NIV) from Pune will come to Kerala today to investigate Nipah virus. The NIV team will also conduct a survey of bats at Kozhikode Medical College.
Health Minister held emergency meeting with MLAs, district officials
Earlier, Kerala Health Minister Veena George had called an emergency meeting on Tuesday night. In this, discussions were held with all the MLAs, public representatives, District Collector and Health Department officials regarding the necessary efforts to deal with Nipah virus.
The Health Minister said that contact tracing work is going on in the area. The health department also held talks with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and assured the availability of monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of patients in private hospitals in the state.
A 9 year old child and a young man are among the two sick patients.
The first death due to Nipah in Kerala occurred on August 30 and the second death occurred on September 11. The Health Minister had said on Tuesday that the samples of both the deceased have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for testing.
He had confirmed finding two more patients. These include a 9 year old child and a 24 year old youth. Treatment of both is going on. The Health Minister has instructed local health workers to keep strict vigil in their areas.
No announcement of Nipah outbreak in the state yet
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a post on September 12 that the government is serious over the death of two people due to Nipah virus. The people who were in contact with the deceased are being traced. The health department has issued an alert in Kozhikode. The outbreak of Nipah has not been officially declared in the state yet.
In 2018, 17 died due to Nipah in Kozhikode and Malappuram.
In 2018, 17 people died due to Nipah virus in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts of Kerala. Earlier, a case of Nipah virus was reported in Kochi in 2019. At the same time, in 2021 also a case of Nipah virus was found in Kozhikode.
Nipah virus spreads through animals like bats and pigs
Nipah virus can spread to humans from animals like bats and pigs. The death rate of this disease is very high. Till now there is no treatment or vaccine (injection) available. Zoonotic virus is one which spreads from animals to humans or from humans to animals.
Rabies and Nipah virus also spread through bats
According to Dr. Samira Mubareka, a microbiologist at the Toronto Health Sciences Centre, this is not the first time that bats have been named as the cause of a disease in humans. It is a carrier of many types of viruses, which has been proven earlier also. Some species of bats have also been carriers of rabies, Ebola and Nipah viruses.
Nipah virus symptoms
According to experts, Nipah virus spreads not only through animals but also from one infected person to another. According to WHO, patients infected with Nipah virus show symptoms like viral fever along with headache, feeling like vomiting, difficulty in breathing and dizziness. If these symptoms persist for 1-2 weeks, a doctor should be contacted.
The first case of Nipah was found in Malaysia 25 years ago.
According to WHO (World Health Organization), Nipah virus was first detected in Sungai Nipah village, Malaysia in 1998. It was named Nipah after the name of this village. Then the pig rearing farmers were found infected with this virus. According to the report of the Malaysia case, cases of infection spread through pets like dogs, cats, goats, horses were also reported.
After Nipah emerged in Malaysia, this virus was also detected in Singapore in the same year. After this, in 2001, patients infected with this virus were also found in Bangladesh. After some time, Nipah virus patients started being found around the Indian border with Bangladesh also.
Source: dainikbhaskarup.com
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