Nipah outbreak news: Centre dispatches assistance team to Kerala after 2 die of virus

livemint.com:

Nipah virus management," Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said. The health department of Kerala suspects two more people of the same family to be infected by the Nipah virus and their samples have been sent for testing. The state government has also established a control room in Kozhikode district.

It advised people to take precautionary measures and not unnecessarily worry about the virus. "There is nothing to worry about. Those who were in contact with the two are being traced and treated.

Being careful is the key to tackling the situation. Everyone is requested to cooperate with the action plan prepared by the health department," the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said as per news platform NDTV. Nipah virus is a highly dangerous pathogen that causes brain damage and spreads to humans when they come into direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected bats, pigs, or individuals.

It was initially recognized in 1999 amid an outbreak of sickness that primarily affected pig farmers and those in close proximity to pigs in Malaysia and Singapore. Kerala, especially the Kozhikode and Malappuram districts have been particularly vulnerable to the Nipah virus as the areas have seen outbreaks in 2018 and 2021. As of now, there is no treatment or vaccine against the Nipah virus and as per the World Health Organisation (WHO), the infection has a high fatality rate of 73%.