Nipah claims one life in Kerala; Maharashtra reports 28 Zika cases in 2024

Communicable disease scare grips people as Maharashtra reports 28 Zika cases this year

A 14-year-old boy from Chembrassery in Malappuram district of Kerala died of Nipah infection at a government medical hospital on Sunday. The boy was admitted to the hospital on July 20. 

According to the state government, he had a cardiac arrest and died by around 11.30 am.

State health minister Veena George said three of his relatives were under surveillance at Manjeri Medical College hospital, with one under intensive care support.

"A 14-year-old boy from Mallapuram exhibited AES symptoms and was admitted to a healthcare facility in Perinthalmanna before being transferred to a higher health center in Kozhikode. However, the patient later succumbed to the disease. The samples were sent to NIV, Pune which has confirmed a Nipah virus infection," the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) said in a statement.

 

A multi-member joint outbreak response team from the National ‘One Health Mission’ of the Union Health Ministry will be deployed to support Kerala in investigating the case, identifying epidemiological linkages, and providing technical assistance. 

A 68-year-old man from Malappuram with Nipah symptoms, reportedly not related to the index patient, has been admitted to Kozhikode Medical College under serious conditions.

This is the fifth Nipah outbreak in Kerala. The first was in 2018 which claimed 17 lives. The second was in 2019 in Ernakulam when one person got infected, In 202, one person died in Kozhikode, which again saw an outbreak in 2023, killing two and infecting four others.

Nipah virus infection, a zoonotic illness, is spread to humans through contact with infected animals such as bats and pigs. Additionally, direct contact with an infected individual can also lead to transmission, although this route is less common.

Meanwhile, the scare of communicable diseases seems to be gripping across the country with Maharashtra reporting 28 Zika cases this year, the highest since 2021. Of this, Pune alone accounts for 24 cases. Zika virus is primarily transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito from the Aedes genus in tropical and subtropical regions.

Maharashtra has so far reported 34 Zika cases, with Pune district being the worst hit with 28 cases as of July 19. The state government is actively trying to contain the outbreak. To step up surveillance, it is setting up centers every 3-5 kilometres in affected districts that would survey the area and collect blood samples for quick identification of fever cases, the health department said. 

Blood samples of pregnant mothers are being collected and tested as Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause birth defects and other congenital abnormalities in the developing foetus and newborn.

Zika virus, a mosquito-borne flavivirus, was first isolated in 1947 from the blood of a rhesus monkey in the Zika forest of Uganda. There have been outbreaks ever since, mostly in Africa and South America.

What is Nipah?
 

A viral infection that mainly affects animals such as bats, pigs, dogs, and horses. Being a zoonotic disease, it can transmit to humans who come in contact with the infected animals and cause serious disease

The Centre has advised the following immediate public health measures

> Active case search in the family of the confirmed case, the neighborhood, and areas with similar topography. •

> Active contact tracing (for any contacts) during the past 12 days. 

> Strict quarantine of the contacts of the case and isolation of any suspects. 

>  Collection and transportation of samples for lab testing.