How Nipah virus re-emerged for 6th time in Kerala
The Nipah virus has re-emerged in Kerala, marking the sixth outbreak since 2018. The latest victim is a 24-year-old student from Malappuram district who succumbed to the disease on September 9. Health officials have identified 175 individuals who had contact with him and are taking measures to prevent a larger outbreak. After his death, swab samples tested in Kozhikode confirmed the presence of the Nipah virus on September 16, with further verification by the National Institute of Virology in Pune.
Containment measures and contact tracing
Kerala Health Minister Veena George has announced that 175 people in Malappuram district who had contact with the deceased have been traced. "Among them, 74 are health workers. We have categorized 104 of these contacts as high-risk," she said. Ten individuals have been quarantined at Manjeri Medical College Hospital and samples from 13 others sent for testing. Additionally, 16 college mates who attended the student's burial have been advised to self-isolate as a precautionary measure.
Kerala's history with Nipah outbreaks
Kerala experienced its first Nipah virus outbreak in 2018, which resulted in 17 deaths out of 18 infected individuals in Kozhikode district. Subsequent outbreaks occurred in June 2019, September 2021, and twice in 2023 with a total of eight fatalities. This latest resurgence marks the sixth time since 2018 that Kerala has faced a Nipah virus outbreak. Kozhikode and Malappuram districts have been particularly affected, with the infection claiming 17 lives in Kozhikode since May 2018.
Urbanization and deforestation linked to Nipah outbreaks
A Reuters investigation from May last year highlighted that rapid urbanization and deforestation in Kerala over recent decades have "created ideal conditions for a virus like Nipah to emerge." Pragya Yadav, lead scientist on Nipah research at Pune's National Institute of Virology (NIV), explained that the loss of animal habitats has brought them closer to human populations, "which eventually helps the virus to jump from bats to humans."
2 key factors contribute to Nipah's reemergence
Dr. Yadav further explained that there are two key factors behind Nipah's reemergence. "Not just Kerala, in states along the Western Ghats, human habitations are either close to the forest or within...forests," increasing the likelihood of exposure to infected animals. The second factor is surveillance. Without sufficient surveillance, human infections may go unnoticed. "We don't know if it is causing infections in other states. A certain level of monitoring and surveillance is required to pick up every case," she said.
