Taking note of the panic over the outbreak of Nipah virus in Kerala, especially on social media networks, the Centre has issued a statement saying appropriate measures to contain the outbreak had been taken, and that the viral infection was “unlikely” to spread.
J.P. Nadda, the Union minister for health, has urged citizens “not to believe in rumours posted on social media” or spread panic.
Since Sunday, when the National Institute of Virology confirmed that the deaths at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital were due to the deadly Nipah virus, panic spread across Kerala, pushing the state and Central government into action.
The Nipah virus infection is a "newly emerging zoonosis" that causes severe disease in both animals and humans. The natural host of the virus are fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family, Pteropus genus. The viral infection has a high mortality rate, and no cure.
According to the scientific journal Nature, an anti-viral drug, Favipiravir (T-705), is being tested for use against the Nipah virus in Japan. Inside the laboratory, while experiments on animals, the drug has been found to have potent antiviral activity against Nipah virus. However, clinical trials on humans have not been done for the drug yet.
In context of the current outbreak, the Centre dispatched a team of doctors from the National Centre of Disease Control (NCDC) to the spot on Monday. The team visited the house of a family in Perambra in Kozhikode district, from where the initial death was reported on Saturday, and found several bats housed in the well that the family had been using to draw water from. "Some bats have been caught and sent for lab examination to confirm whether they are the cause of the disease or not. Sixty different samples have been collected from the spot and sent for examination," said a statement by the Union ministry of health and family welfare.
Two cases of Nipah virus have been confirmed, the statement added. The patients were admitted at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital and later, succumbed to the deadly viral disease. The ministry also said it had mobilised a public health team from the Kozhikode branch of NCDC to assess the extent of the problem, and managing it. They are assisting the state level team already deployed at the epicentre.
As per the Union ministry of health and family welfare, seven patients have been admitted at the Baby Memorial Hospital and the Government Medical College at Kozhikode and at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Ernakulam.
The team of experts on the spot has advised hospitals to follow standard protocols, use personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers and sample collection, assist in enhancing active fever surveillance in the community and strengthen contact tracing in close contacts of cases, relatives, and health care workers. Hospitals have also been advised to ensure isolation facilities, ventilator support and hospital infection control practices, coordinate with the animal husbandry industry and enhance surveillance for unusual illnesses and deaths in animals.
The Centre has ensured availability of diagnostic kits, personal protective equipment and risk communication materials. High quality personal protection equipment has been provided to the health care personnel. Nine patients are currently under treatment. Isolation wards have been opened in many hospitals in Kozhikode.
“Since all the contacts are under observation and steps to avoid exposure through animal vectors have been taken, there is no reason for people to panic. This appears to be a localised occurrence,” according to the ministry.