Nipah virus: 5 more samples are being tested at Kozhikode Medical College (Representational)
Thiruvananthapuram:
State Health Minister Veena George said today that samples of eight people who came in contact with a 12-year-old child who died of Nipah virus infection in Kerala have come negative. The samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune.
“It is a matter of great relief that the samples came out negative,” the health minister said.
Five more samples are being tested at Kozhikode Medical College, where a testing facility for Nipah has been set up in coordination with NIV.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Nipah virus infection in humans has a variety of clinical presentations, ranging from asymptomatic infections to acute respiratory infections and fatal encephalitis. The WHO says the case fatality rate is estimated to be 40 percent to 75 percent, and this rate can vary depending on local capabilities for epidemiological surveillance and clinical management.
A total of 48 high-risk contacts, including eight people who got tested, are admitted to the Kozhikode Medical College – 31 from Kozhikode, four from Wayanad, eight from Malappuram and one from Palakkad. Sample testing for these is likely to be completed today, Ms George said.
A central government team from the National Center for Disease Control is in Kerala, providing technical assistance to the state.
The first outbreak of Nipah virus disease in South India was reported from Kozhikode in May 2018.
Nipah virus can be transmitted to humans from animals such as bats or pigs, or from contaminated foods and can also be transmitted directly from human-to-human. According to the Nipah Virus Information Resource on the WHO website, fruit bats are the natural hosts of Nipah virus.
There is no cure or vaccine available for people or animals. First aid for humans is supportive care.
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