Nipah Virus: After two “unnatural deaths” attributed to fever were reported in Kozhikode, the Kerala Health Department issued a warning. Health professionals believe that these deaths may have been caused by an infection with the Nipah virus.
Suspicion of Nipah Virus Outbreak Grows as Multiple Patients Admitted to Kozhikode Hospital
A private hospital in Kozhikode is where these two fatalities took place. Four victims in total, including three children, are receiving medical care in a hospital. The intensive care unit of a hospital is currently housing a 22-year-old relative of one of the deceased. Additionally, a 10-month-old infant, two children aged 4 and 9 years, and a youngster are being treated in a private hospital. The National Institute of Virology (NIV), in Pune, has received samples from the patients. By Tuesday night, the results will be available, and it will only be then that the Nipah virus infection may be verified. State health minister Veena George presided over a high-level meeting to assess the situation.
Previous Nipah Virus Outbreaks Highlight Potential Threat and Variability of Symptoms
In 2018 and 2021, there were two earlier epidemics of the Nipah virus in Kozhikode. There were 23 cases in total during the initial epidemic in 2018, and 17 people died as a result of this zoonotic virus. The symptoms of nipah virus infection can vary, from asymptomatic (subclinical) infections to severe respiratory sickness and deadly encephalitis in infected people. The Nipah virus infection is a zoonotic disease that can be passed from person to person, through contaminated food, or directly from animal to human, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). According to WHO, the virus can also cause serious illness in pigs and other animals, costing farmers a great deal of money.
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