Nipah Scare Puts Other Indian States on High Alert

Nipah virus scare pushed many states across India to be on high alert, as officials investigate suspicious cases and issue precautions on traveling to Kerala, according to sources.

Although the Nipah virus has been contained to the state of Kerala, the scare has spread across the country as many states go on high alert investigating suspicious cases and issuing advisories on precautions and travel to Kerala, say officials. //

With another death in Kerala on Saturday, the total number of deaths due to Nipah virus has reached 13. The majority of the deaths have been reported from Kozhikode district with some from the nearby Malappuram district in Kerala.

Nipah Virus (NiV) | Hendra Virus - Causes, Symptoms, Consequences, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention
Nipah Virus (NiV) or Hendra virus is a deadly virus that spreads via contact with the saliva, urine, or excreta of fruit bats or pigs. Nipah outbreak is an emerging zoonosis which had resulted in fatal deaths in Kerala, India.

‘Nipah virus may not have spread beyond Kerala, however several states in the country are on high alert, investigating suspicious cases and issuing precautions on traveling to Kerala.’

Even as incidence of fresh cases in Kerala has come down, state health authorities claim things are under control and the Union Health Ministry maintains virus outbreak is a localised occurrence and there is no need to panic, fear runs high across the country.

Panic gripped Himachal Pradesh when several bats were found dead at Government Senior Secondary School in Barmapapri in Sirmaur district this week. However, tests at the National Institute of Virology in Pune ruled out that the bats were carrying Nipah virus.

Himachal Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary B.K. Agarwal has advised people not to panic about the Nipah virus and said that all medical colleges in the state are prepared to deal with the situation, if it occurs.

Bihar: Nipah Virus Alert
Nipah virus prevention: People have been advised to keep distance from bats and pigs. They have been asked not to consume fruits without washing them.

Similarly, in Telangana, two persons, including one who visited Kerala recently, were admitted to hospitals on Friday with suspected Nipah virus infection. The state health authorities without taking any chances have sent their samples to Pune for investigation.

K. Shankar, Director, Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM), Hyderabad said that people should postpone their plans to visit Kerala in view of the situation. The authorities are conducting awareness campaigns and are also screening people at airport, railway and bus stations.

Nipah Virus Infection: Stay Calm, Practice Good Hygiene Tips
You can avoid contracting the brain-damaging Nipah virus by simple good hygiene practices such as frequent hand washing and eating well-cooked food. Nipah virus infection has killed 13 people in Kerala till now and led to quarantining of at least 40 others.

Telangana Director of Medical Education K. Ramesh Reddy, however, said there was no need for panic as the state had not recorded any confirmed case of Nipah virus.

The Bihar government issued Nipah virus alert on Saturday, asking people to take precautions. An advisory has also been issued to people with the dos and don'ts as preventive measures.

Nipah Virus Death Toll Now 13, One More Dies in Kozhikode
News of fresh cases of Nipah virus has come down, but a woman under treatment at the Kozhikode Medical College hospital died of Nipah virus infection on Saturday, taking the disease toll in Kerala to 13.

"The government has issued an alert of Nipah virus in view of its outbreak in Kerala," said health department official R. D. Ranjan. "People have been advised to keep distance from bats and pigs. They have been asked not to consume fruits without washing them."

Madhya Pradesh issued its advisory on Friday. While saying there was no reason to worry as the virus is generally limited to a place, Health Services Director B.N. Chouhan advised against eating fruits that are fallen on the ground or appear to have animal teeth or claw marks.

Those living in areas with a bat population or where travellers from Kerala are staying should contact the nearest government hospital if any symptoms of Nipah are found, Chouhan said and added the symptoms are headaches, fever, bodyache, cough, problems in breathing, vomiting, diarrhoea, laziness and others.

Nipah virus is transmitted to humans through infected fruit bats, pigs or other Nipah-infected persons.

With test results showing that a particular variety of bats, found in and around Kozhikode and mostly at the worst-affected Perambara town, is not carrying the virus, a special team from Pune will see how best they can take samples from other varieties of bats also found in the district.

Source-IANS