1 year, 6 months ago

Why Nipah virus outbreaks are occurring only in Kerala

Since May 2018 when Kerala reported the first Nipah outbreak in Kozhikode district, there have been three more outbreaks of Nipah virus including the latest one in late-August 2023. “Whenever we have undiagnosed fever cases, a team involving virologists is formed and we undertake a detailed investigation which helps us diagnose Nipah virus and other new virus outbreaks early. In 2018, a cluster formed and Nipah virus was diagnosed among three contacts who were admitted with unusual symptoms about two weeks after the death of the index case. “The infectivity from first-degree to second-degree patients is low when infected with Nipah virus but high in the case of index cases,” Dr. Kumar explains.

The Hindu

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