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Why Nipah virus outbreaks are occurring only in Kerala

  • September 17, 2023
  • Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
  • Category: DPN Topics
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Why Nipah virus outbreaks are occurring only in Kerala

Subject :Science and technology

Section: Health

Introduction 

  • Kerala experienced four Nipah outbreaks since May 2018: three in Kozhikode and one in Ernakulam in 2019.

Presence of Nipah Virus in Fruit Bats

  • A 2021 study confirmed Nipah virus in Pteropusfruit bats across Kerala districts.
  • NIV Pune found Nipah virus antibodies in Pteropusmediusbats in nine states, including Kerala.

Kerala’s Proactive Healthcare System

  • Kerala’s virologist-led teams quickly identified the Nipah virus in undiagnosed fever cases.
  • Advanced healthcare infrastructure and suspicion enhance rapid diagnosis.

Nipah Virus Infectivity

  • Nipah has lower infectivity than SARS-CoV-2 (R0 of 0.2-0.3 compared with R0 of over 1.5 in the case of SARS-CoV-2 virus), with index cases posing higher transmission risk.
  • Not all index cases become superspreaders, and secondary cases may be limited, depending on symptoms.
  • Basic Reproduction Number:
    • R0 (pronounced “R naught”) is a basic reproduction number used in epidemiology to measure the contagiousness or transmission potential of an infectious disease.
    • It represents the average number of secondary infections that one infected individual can produce in a completely susceptible population.

About Nipah Virus

  • Nipah virus is a highly contagious and often deadly virus that can infect both humans and animals. 
  • It belongs to the family Paramyxoviridae, genusHenipavirus.
  • Nipah virus was first identified in Malaysia in 1998 when it caused an outbreak of severe respiratory and neurological illness in pigs and a subsequent outbreak in humans.
  • Transmission: It spreads through contact with infected animals, contaminated food, or direct human-to-human contact.
  • Symptoms: It causes fever, headache, and vomiting, and can lead to severe encephalitis with a high mortality rate.
  • Geographic Distribution: Nipah virus outbreaks have occurred in South and Southeast Asia, primarily in Malaysia, Singapore, Bangladesh, and India.
  • Animal Reservoir: Fruit bats, especially flying foxes, are natural carriers of the virus.
Science and tech Why Nipah virus outbreaks are occurring only in Kerala

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