After the Nipah virus alarm, security guards maintained a vigil at a medical institution in Kozhikode on Tuesday, September 12, 2023. (PTI)

In the region where the most recent Nipah virus infections were discovered, mass testing will start, and quarantine precautions have been put in place.
Four cases of the Nipah virus have been reported in Kerala, two of which have just passed away from the illness, according to state health minister Veena George on Tuesday. The minister affirmed that the lethal, brain-damaging Nipah virus was to blame for the recent “unnatural deaths” in Kozhikode district.

One of the deceased and four of his relatives’ samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for examination. Three of the five samples, including one from the deceased and two others who are receiving treatment, including a nine-year-old kid, have tested positive, according to the ministry.

“Liver sclerosis was the cause of death on August 30. His comorbidities were a few. His comorbidities were believed to have caused problems that led to his death. But we only started watching him after his closest family members and contacts started exhibiting an unusual fever and other symptoms, said George.

One Nipah virus patient died this month, according to a representative of the virology institute; the other victim passed away in August.

Since 2018, there have been four Nipah outbreaks in Kerala. When Kerala initially announced the Nipah outbreak in 2018, 21 of the 23 affected individuals had already passed away. Nipah claimed two more lives in 2019 and 2021.

Direct contact with the body fluids of infected bats, pigs, or other people can result in the virus being transferred to humans. It was first discovered in 1999 after a disease outbreak in Malaysia and Singapore that affected pig farmers and other people who had frequent contact with pigs.

The virus has no known cures or immunizations.

The Union Health Minister confirmed that the Nipah virus was to blame for the two deaths in Kozhikode and announced that a central team of experts has been dispatched to Kerala to assess the situation and help the state administration handle the infection.

“There have been numerous cases of this illness this season, and I have spoken with Kerala’s health minister about them. This virus, which is spread by bats, is developing cases. In order for us to take safeguards, the health ministry has produced a guideline in this regard, according to Mandaviya.

Kerala’s chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, stated in a video message earlier in the day that the state administration takes the two fatalities very seriously. The chief minister urged people to use caution and assured them that there was no need for concern because individuals who had been in close proximity to the deceased were receiving treatment.

“There is no need for concern. People who have touch with the deceased are being located and given medical attention. The secret to handling the problem is caution. Everyone is urged to work with the health department’s action plan, the official said.