New Delhi: A 42-year-old woman from Kerala’s Malappuram district remains in critical condition after being diagnosed with the Nipah virus, state health officials confirmed on Friday. The patient, a resident of Valanchery, was admitted to a private hospital in Perinthalmanna on May 2, exhibiting signs of encephalitis, a common symptom of the deadly virus. Lab tests by the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, confirmed Nipah infection on May 8. The virus is a zoonotic pathogen with a high fatality rate, and it is primarily transmitted from fruit bats to humans. It spreads through close contact with infected patients or the intake of contaminated food.
Following the confirmation, Kerala Health Minister Veena George announced that a three-kilometre area surrounding the patient’s home has been designated a containment zone. This includes parts of Marakkara and Edayur panchayats, covered by local family health centres in Valanchery.
George also confirmed that contact tracing was immediately initiated. So far, seven individuals have been identified as high-risk contacts. While all their samples have tested negative, health experts remain cautious as Nipah’s incubation period can last up to 27 days, and transmission is most likely during the symptomatic stage.
The patient had not been part of large public gatherings recently, as per health authorities. This is the sixth episode of the Nipah outbreak in Kerala since 2018. The most recent case was reported in 2024 when a 14-year-old boy from Kozhikode succumbed to the infection. People in the area have been asked to stay vigilant and avoid contact with sick animals, while also reporting flu-like symptoms immediately.
What is the Nipah virus?
Dr Bhumesh Tyagi, Consultant- General Medicine and Physician, Shardacare – Health City, in an interaction with News9Live, spoke about what the Nipah virus is and how it can be managed.
“The Nipah virus is a highly contagious zoonotic virus that can infect humans through contaminated food, direct human-to-human contact, or animals like pigs or fruit bats, which are the virus’s natural hosts. In other areas, like Kerala in India, it usually spreads during seasonal outbreaks via exposure to infected people, contact with bat-contaminated fruits, or ingestion of raw date palm sap. Usually starting with fever, headache, sore throat, muscle aches, and vomiting, the symptoms can quickly worsen and include sleepiness, dizziness, neurological signs, seizures, and possibly a coma from acute encephalitis. Because of the high death rate, which ranges from 40% to 75%, early detection and supportive medical care are essential,” said Dr Tyagi.
“The Nipah virus has no known cure or antiviral medication; supportive care, which includes rest, fluids, and critical care in extreme situations, is the mainstay of management. Precautions are crucial to preventing epidemics during the Nipah season. People should refrain from eating raw fruits and date palm sap, avoid contact with pigs and bats, maintain excellent hygiene, and use personal protective equipment (PPE) when tending to sick patients. Strict infection control, early diagnosis, and public health awareness are essential to stopping the spread of this fatal virus,” the expert added.
The Nipah virus is a highly contagious zoonotic virus that can infect humans through contaminated food, direct human-to-human contact, or animals like pigs or fruit bats, which are the virus’s natural hosts. Health News Health News: Latest News from Health Care, Mental Health, Weight Loss, Disease, Nutrition, Healthcare
