A 14-year-old boy has tested positive for the Nipah virus in Kerala’s Malappuram district, prompting state officials to issue an alert over a possible outbreak. Kerala Health Minister Veena George chaired a high-level meeting on Saturday to discuss measures to curb the virus’s spread.
The meeting focused on public safety, reviewing the current situation, and discussing control steps. A 24-hour control room has been established at the government rest house in Malappuram.
Officials will prepare a list of people who came into contact with the boy and will send samples from high-risk areas for testing. The district collector, police chief, and other officials will meet to decide if restrictions should be imposed within a 3-kilometre (1.8-mile) radius of the outbreak’s epicenter.
Minister George has arrived in Malappuram to lead the response efforts. The government has formed committees to oversee the implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for virus control.
The boy, whose samples were sent to the Pune virology laboratory on Friday, is currently on ventilator support and may be transferred to Kozhikode Medical College if his condition worsens.
Earlier, Minister George announced that efforts to prevent the Nipah virus during the months of May to September would be intensified. She urged the public not to destroy bat habitats, as disturbing them could increase virus transmission. She also advised against eating fruits bitten by birds and drinking honey from banana peels, which could be contaminated by bats.
The Nipah virus, which is transmitted from animals to humans, can be fatal. In 2018, at least 17 people from Kozhikode and Malappuram districts died due to the virus. While Nipah infections are rare in India, they do occur sporadically in Kerala and need to be taken seriously. Most survivors of Nipah virus infection and encephalitis make a full recovery.
The risk of human exposure to the Nipah virus is linked to the prevalence of the virus in fruit bats of the genus _Pteropus_. Research published in the journal PNAS indicated that the virus could circulate among fruit bats in any region where they exist. During outbreaks among bats, the virus is shed in feces, urine, and other body fluids, creating an opportunity for it to jump to humans.
In September last year, 49 test results, including those collected from bats, returned negative, offering a glimmer of hope in the battle against the virus.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has been considering developing a vaccine against the Nipah virus, leveraging platforms used for COVID-19 vaccines, according to ICMR Director-General Rajiv Bahl. The existing portfolio of vaccine platforms, including DNA, mRNA, adenoviral vector, protein subunit, and nasal vaccines, provides valuable assets for tackling diseases like Nipah.
The World Health Organization (WHO), following joint studies with the ICMR, has cautioned nine Indian states, including Kerala, about the probability of Nipah occurrences. These studies revealed the presence of the Indian genotype of the virus in Kerala, similar to strains in Bangladesh, alongside two other distinct strains from Malaysia and Bangladesh.
