Two Nipah virus deaths in Kerala, Mandaviya confirms; central team dispatched

Apart from Kerala, the presence of Nipah viral antibodies in bats was also found in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam Meghalaya and Pondicherry.

Guidelines have also been issued on safety measures so that the virus could be prevented from spreading.

NEW DELHI: Two deaths reported from Kerala’s Kozhikode district were caused by Nipah virus, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya confirmed on Tuesday.

A central team of experts has also been dispatched to Kerala to take stock of the situation and assist the state government in the management of the Nipah virus infection, the minister said.

“It has been confirmed that the two deaths reported from Kozhikode were caused by Nipah virus,” Mandaviya told reporters. “Our expert team has reached Kerala.”

The minister said he has spoken with the Kerala Health Minister Veena George on the matter.

He also said samples of four more people suspected to be infected with the Nipah virus, a zoonotic virus, which can be transmitted from animals to humans, from Kerala have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for testing.

But, he said, as the authorities have prior experience of tackling the disease they will not let the virus spread.

This is the third time Kerala’s Kozhikode has reported deaths due to the Nipah virus. It was earlier reported in the state in 2018 and 2021.

Mandaviya said the Nipah virus cases are reported during this season.

Guidelines have also been issued on safety measures so that the virus could be prevented from spreading in humans as well as among animals, he added.

Mandaviya also said the centre has also dispatched safety gears like PPE Kits to the state.

In a survey, the Indian Council of Medical Research’s National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV) has found evidence that the Nipah virus is in circulation in the bat population across nine states and one Union Territory in the country.

Apart from Kerala, the presence of Nipah viral antibodies in bats was also found in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam Meghalaya and Pondicherry.

Earlier, the state authorities had declared the two suspected deaths as ‘unnatural deaths’. Relatives of one of the deceased have also been admitted to the ICU, the Kerala health department has said.

Following the deaths, the health department sounded an alert in the district.

The Kerala government has also set up a control room in Kozhikode and advised people to use masks as a precautionary measure.

In a Facebook post, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said his government is viewing the two deaths seriously.

He, however, said there is no need to worry as most of those who were in close contact with the deceased are under treatment.

The Kerala health minister chaired a high-level meeting to evaluate the situation in Kozhikode and said that the entire health machinery in the district is on alert.