Kerala govt has confirmed the first case of the deadly Nipah virus in the state which had claimed 17 lives in 2018. Over 80 people have been kept under observation. Nipah infection is transmitted to humans from animals and sometimes human-to-human transmission. Fruit bats are the natural hosts of the virus. The disease has no cure or vaccination. Symptoms include fever, headache, drowsiness, respiratory illness, disorientation and mental confusion. A patient can go in a coma within 24-48 hour. The only treatment is the provision of Intensive supportive care. The preventive medicine sourced from Australia is available only with the National Institute of Virology.
The first outbreak of Nipah virus was reported in 1999 in Malaysia among pig farmers where 7 out of 10 Nipah virus infected died. Nipah is not new to India. The first outbreak in West Bengal in 2001 left 45 dead. Second outbreak in 2007 in West Bengal left 5 dead.