Thiruvananthapuram – The Kerala government has announced that there is a potential presence of the Nipah virus in bats in the Wayanad district of the state, according to a report the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). State Health Minister Veena George emphasized that this does not indicate any fresh cases of the virus in the district, but is merely a precautionary measure to alert the state’s health system and the general public.
Addressing reporters on the current status of the Nipah outbreak, Minister George revealed that six people in the Kozhikode district were infected last month, resulting in two fatalities. However, all individuals on the contact list of those infected have completed their isolation and quarantine periods.
The minister also highlighted the state’s achievement in significantly reducing the mortality rate of the virus. Nipah virus typically exhibits a mortality rate of 70-90%, but Kerala has managed to limit it to 33%. Minister George credited this success to the implementation of Kozhikode-specific standard operating protocols (SOPs) and the establishment of a Kerala One Health Centre for Nipah Research.
The integration of field activities related to public health into the Kozhikode Medical College is currently underway, with the aim of eventually transforming it into an independent research institute with its own infrastructure.
Regarding the Nipah cases, the first individual who passed away on August 30 was identified as the index case, or patient zero, from whom others contracted the infection. This year’s Nipah outbreak marks the fourth occurrence in Kerala since 2018.