The deadly Nipah virus is back in the news. Two individuals in Kerala's Kozhikode district are suspected to have succumbed to the virus. In the wake of the suspected deaths, the Kerala Health Department has issued a health alert in the district.
Health Minister Veena George has already held a high-level meeting. Both deaths were deemed unnatural by an expert who was present at the meeting. This made the government amp up the measures to contain the spread of the virus.
Wikipedia says that the Nipah virus is a bat-borne virus that causes Nipah virus infection in humans and other animals. Experts hold that the disease comes with a high mortality rate. "Nipah virus belongs to the genus Henipavirus along with the Hendra virus, which has also caused disease outbreaks," a science report analyzes.
Is Nipah virus new to India? Not at all. As per the World Health Organization, the Nipah outbreak was first reported in India in 2001. That was in West Bengal. The second one was reported in the same State in 2007. In 2018, the third one was reported in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts of Kerala. "A total of 23 cases were identified, including the index case with 18 laboratory-confirmed cases. The outbreak was managed by the state government and central government agencies and has been acknowledged as a success story," the WHO says, talking about the Kerala experience.
