Nipah Virus Killed 10 people in Kerala – Here are some insights on the infection

There is an outbreak of a high fatality virus in Kozhikode Kerala. The virus is called Nipah and it is

mainly spread through pigs, bats, and other animals. For now the death toll in Kerala due to the

infection has arose to nine and this is quite a figure. The National Virology Institute in Pune has also

confirmed that the deaths were due to the virus Nipah (NiV).

The union health ministry has sent a team to the state to cope up with the virus.

Nipah Virus – All you need to know about it

The Nipah virus is an infection transmitted to humans from animals and this is known as emerging

zoonosis. This leads to high risk diseases in both animals and humans. The natural host of the virus

are the fruit bats of the Pteropodidae Family.

The following are the major things you need to know about it:

The infection was first diagnosed in Kampung Sungai Nipah, Malaysia in 1998. Here, pigs

were the main hosts. Later in 2004, humans were infected with NiV in Bangladesh due to the

consumption of palm fruit that were infected by fruit bats.

This virus has the ability to jump the species barrier and infect another host on its own. The

transmission happens through direct contact with the infected species. People have also

been warned that they should not eat fruits that are fallen at the ground.

For now, there is no sure shot vaccination for the virus, the immediate action is the intensive

supportive care.

The virus infection can be prevented by avoiding contact with animals. One should go out

where the area has infected pigs, bats and other infected animals. One should not consume

fruits that are fallen from the trees.