'Nipah is the deadliest virus to hit Kerala'

nipah-virus-outbreak Family members of the patients admitted at the Kozhikode Medical College wear safety masks as a precautionary measure after the Nipah virus outbreak in Kozhikode | PTI

Ten people in Kerala have died from the Nipah virus—a highly contagious virus first identified in Malaysia in 1999. At least nine others have tested positive for it and have been quarantined. The infection started with a family in Kozhikode, in whose well, dead bats, the carriers of the virus, were found.

There is no cure for Nipah fever, but one can take preventive measures, like avoid consuming raw fruits and using N95 masks while travelling or working in public places. In an interview, Chithra Valsan, microbiology professor at Jubilee Mission Hospital in Thrissur, talks about what measures have been taken to contain the virus and why it is so dangerous.

How deadly is the Nipah virus?

It is very dangerous as the mortality rate is very high; it has been 100 per cent during certain outbreaks. Unlike infections like Malaria, which can be controlled, the progress to encephalitis can be very rapid in Nipah. It is, however, under control. All the people who have been exposed to the virus are under close observation.

How has the response of the state government been to the outbreak?

The response has been fantastic. The measures the government has put in place are adequate. At a very early stage itself, people from the office of the DMO (district medical officer) have met with community health workers and hospitals in all the districts of Kerala to warn them about the outbreak. Alerts were sent within 48 hours of diagnosing the infection. In the second case itself, the doctor suspected Nipah and included it in the possible list of viruses he sent to Manipal. This was fantastic actually, since Nipah is not commonly found here.

Why haven’t we come up with a vaccine for the virus yet?

We have to do a lot of trials before we can come up with a vaccine. Unlike earlier, there are a lot of safety regulations which have to be followed when we do trials on humans. Also, not many countries have been affected by the virus. Still, they are in the process of developing a vaccine.

Is Kerala equipped to deal with a virus like Nipah?

The medical services are doing a good job. Even the public is aware and wear masks (when they step out). The need of the hour, however, is for more diagnostic centres. There are very few molecular labs functioning properly in the state. It’s not easy to send samples to Manipal each time a virus is suspected. We have to wait for months before we get results. This is because there have been very few viral outbreaks in Kerala in the past, other than cases of malaria and cholera earlier. Some time ago, there was an outbreak of KFD (Kaysanur Forest Disease) in Wayanad, but it was not very dramatic. We have many cases of dengue, but they are manageable. Nipah is the deadliest virus to hit Kerala.

No reports of Nipah have been confirmed outside Kozhikode and Malappuram.