Malappuram : The Nipah virus has been detected for the fifth time in Kerala since its emergence in 2018, this time confirmed in a 14-year-old boy from Malappuram. Health Minister Veena George chaired a high-level meeting Saturday to invoke measures and alert in order to prevent potential outbreak.
A 24-hour control room has been set up at government guest house in Malappuram. Public are advised cautions such as avoiding bat-inhabited haunts, bitten fruits, proper use of mask and social distancing.
The teen confirmed with the virus is from Pandikkad area and is currently being treated at Kozhikode Medical College hospital.
Fruit bats are the most common carriers of the virus. It is a zoonotic virus - one that originates from animals and can spread to humans. The paramyxovirus type belongs to the same family as mumps, measles, Hendra virus and RSV.
Typically the virus takes 4 – 14 days to incubate and symptoms to appear. In some cases this can go up to 21 days.
Symptoms include fever, headache, dizziness, fainting, cough, stomach pain, nausea, chills, fatigue, breathing difficulty and blurred vision. In worse condition, the patient could slip into comma with possibility of encephalitis affecting the brain.
