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Fruit bats hang from tree branches during the day. Bats are believed to be carriers of the Nipah virus, a zoonotic disease that spreads from animals to humans.
Eyepix Group | Future Publishing | Getty Images
Health authorities in the southern Indian state of Kerala are on high alert following the recent outbreak of the deadly Nipah virus.
This is 14-year-old boy dies Currently, the authorities are stepping up efforts to track down people who have had contact with him.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George explain On Tuesday, the girl’s close relatives tested negative for the virus, according to local media reports, adding that preventive measures such as wearing masks in public places could not be cancelled yet.
The state’s health minister had previously said 60 people had been identified as being at high risk of contracting the disease. All those identified as being at high risk are being tested for the virus.
Nipah virus partly inspired the fictional “MEV-1” virus in the 2011 Hollywood movie Contagion. Considered One of the most dangerous pathogens in the wild.
Nipah virus was first discovered in Malaysia 25 years ago. estimated The mortality rate is as high as 75%, and lead There is a risk of another pandemic. There is currently no vaccine to prevent infection and no treatment to cure it.
Nipah virus, which is transmitted to humans by animals such as fruit bats or pigs, is known to cause a fatal brain-swelling fever in humans.
World Health Organization explain Human infections can range from asymptomatic infection to acute respiratory infection.
Health workers wearing protective gear transfer a woman showing symptoms of Nipah virus to an isolation ward at a government hospital in Kozhikode, Kerala, southern India, September 16, 2023.
AFP | Getty Images
The risk of further spread of the latest Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala appears to be “low”, the World Health Organization’s representative to India, Dr Roderico O’Flynn, said on Tuesday.
“The Kerala government has conducted aggressive and extensive contact tracing. 60 people were in close contact with the deceased 14-year-old and are therefore classified as high-risk contacts. They are all being tested for the virus,” O’Flynn told CNBC in an email.
“Given the transmission dynamics of the Nipah virus itself and the current assessment and number of cases, the risk of further spread from this outbreak appears low.”
Nipah virus outbreak
O’Flynn said the cause of the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala was “multifactorial” but stressed that the southern Indian state of Kerala had an “excellent” system to identify, test and register all suspected cases so that public health measures could be taken immediately.
Before the latest outbreak, the Kerala government had reported four Nipah virus outbreaks in the region since 2018.
Health workers wearing protective gear transfer people who have had contact with people infected with the Nipah virus to an isolation center at a government hospital in Kozhikode, Kerala, India, September 14, 2023.
AFP | Getty Images
In a survey published last year, Reuters Reported Extensive tree loss and rapid urbanization in Kerala in recent decades have created ideal conditions for the emergence of Nipah virus.
independent Report Kerala has what the world calls a “jump zone,” a term used to describe areas most conducive for bat-borne viruses to infect humans.
India’s National Center for Disease Control, which is leading the outbreak response, was not immediately able to provide an update when contacted by CNBC on Wednesday.
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