The Nipah wave has been surging in Kerala, and its devastating effects have rendered the state paralysed. In response, the Kerala government had to issue a notice to shut down all education institutes in Kozhikode and Beypore districts. This includes schools, professional colleges, and tuition centres.
This quick and stern action on the government’s behalf is not hasty but proactive since this is the fourth time the Nipah Virus (NiV) has been spreading in the state. It was detected in Kozhikode in 2018 and 2021 and in Ernakulam in 2019. Additionally, an external study conducted by the World Health Organisation(WHO) after the NiV outbreak of 2018 found, “The outbreak of Nipah demonstrated that Kerala and the rest of the country are exposed to the high risk of another outbreak making preparedness vital. The Kerala NiV outbreak underscored the need to encourage annual preparative work before the traditional Nipah seasons.”
Tracing The Route Of Nipah Infection
To understand the bat-to-human transmission of NiV and its further transmission from person to person, to prevent further infections, the state government is tracking back the route of the infection. They have identified patient zero, but unfortunately, the man passed away on August 30 before he was even diagnosed with NiV. The state government is now investigating how this man got infected by seeking details of his mobile tower locations.
Veena George, Minister for Health and Woman and Child Development, Government of Kerala, informed that the health department is now forming a contact list of potential NiV-infected persons, and has a total of 1,080 people on it, out of which 327 are health workers. The government is also performing contact tracing to isolate all sources of the Nipah infection.
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However, George provided a ray of hope sharing that no new positive cases have been reported in the state, and samples from 94 people on the contact list of potential infections have come back negative for the virus.
Measures To Control Nipah Infection In Kerala
In addition to contact tracing, the state government is also taking measures for the districts that are hit hard by NiV to prepare them for a possible endemic. Beena Philip, Mayor, Kozhikode, shared that the hospital wards where patient Zero was treated have been declared containment zones.
Meanwhile, George informed that all the people infected in Kerala are part of the first wave of the infection which began with patient Zero. All these patients are divided into two groups. The first group includes the family members of the man who was patient zero, and the second group includes the people who came into contact with him at the hospital where he went for treatment.
Considering the status of students, A Geetha, District Collector, Kozhikode shared that efforts are being made to initiate online classes in educational institutions for this week, and students have been instructed not to engage in holiday-related celebrations.
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In addition to the educational institutions, the Beypore Harbour is also shut down as it falls in one of the containment zones, and instead, two alternative locations will be used for landing fishing vessels and selling catch. The state is currently in the process of obtaining 20 doses of monoclonal antibody through the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to treat patients plagued with NiV.
Since the Nipah infection is yet to be fully understood, and there is no vaccine or cure available for the deadly virus, the first line of defence is being aware of this disease, and not compromising on the precautions against this virus. Similar to the precautions of COVID, NiV can also be prevented by measures such as social distancing, using sanitisers, coughing with your mouth covered, and wearing masks. Additionally, since fruit bats are the primary hosts of this virus, make sure you wash your fruits thoroughly before eating them. Keep in mind that the Nipah virus is no joke as it has a much higher mortality rate than even COVID, shared the Director General of ICMR.