Geneva: Since September 15, no new cases of the deadly Nipah virus have been detected in Kerala, the World Health Organization stated here today.
Between September 12 and 15, 2023, the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reported six laboratory-confirmed Nipah virus cases, including two deaths, in the Kozhikode district of Kerala, where current cases are clustered and epidemiologically linked to the first case, and are localized to the district. Public health teams and health care workers in Kozhikode have prior experience in managing outbreaks of Nipah virus infection, WHO said.
The first case, whose source of infection is unknown, had pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and was admitted to a hospital in late August 2023. He died a few days after admission. The other five confirmed cases were close contacts of the first case including two family members and contacts at the hospital where the first case was treated and died. The second death occurred in an individual who accompanied another patient to the hospital where the first case was being treated. He died after presenting with symptoms of pneumonia.
As of September 27, 2023, 1288 contacts of the confirmed cases were traced, including high-risk contacts and healthcare workers, who are under quarantine and monitoring for 21 days. Since September 12, a total of 387 samples were tested, of which six cases were positive for Nipah virus infection, and all remaining samples tested negative.
The current outbreak is the third Nipah virus outbreak in Kozhikode district, Kerala, the fourth outbreak in Kerala state since 2018 and the sixth outbreak in India. Similar to the previous outbreak in 2018 in Kerala, this outbreak started with the first case and subsequent clustering of cases in family contacts and likely nosocomial transmission in hospitals. In the WHO South-East Asia Region, only Bangladesh and India have reported Nipah virus outbreaks.
Overall, this is the sixth outbreak in India since 2001 when the first outbreak was reported in Siliguri town, West Bengal (66 cases, CFR: 68%). Subsequently, five outbreaks were reported in Nadia district, West Bengal (5 cases; CFR: 100%), Kozhikode and Malappuram, Kerala in 2018 (23 cases including confirmed and probable; CFR: 91%), Ernakulum, Kerala in 2019 (a single case who survived) and Kozhikode, Kerala in 2021 (one case, CFR: 100%).
Nipah virus infection, an emerging bat-borne zoonotic illness, is spread to humans through contact with infected animals such as bats and pigs. Additionally, direct contact with an infected individual can also lead to transmission, although this route is less common. Those affected by Nipah virus infection may experience severe symptoms, including acute respiratory infection and fatal encephalitis. Aside from the first case, the other cases were family and hospital contacts of the first case.
– global bihari bureau
