Nipah virus alert issued in three Kerala districts after two suspected cases

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Health authorities in Kerala have issued an alert in three districts — Kozhikode, Malappuram and Palakkad after two suspected cases of the Nipah virus were detected.

Kerala Health Minister Veena George said that the suspected cases of Nipah virus are from Palakkad and Malappuram districts.

“An alert has been issued in three districts of Kerala, namely Kozhikode, Malappuram and Palakkad, in connection with two new Nipah virus cases,” she said.

The tests conducted at medical college hospitals in Malappuram and Kozhikode have confirmed the infections. Samples have also been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for further confirmation.

Even as a final confirmation is awaited, the government has directed officials to strengthen preventive measures to contain the spread of the virus.
The Health Minister said that 26 committees have been formed across districts to coordinate the response. Police support will be sought to prepare a contact list, and state and district-level helplines will be activated. District Collectors have been directed to make arrangements for declaring containment zones if required.

The National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, is the only lab in the country that cultures the Nipah virus. The virus, which is zoonotic in nature (transmitted from animals to humans), can also spread through contaminated food or directly between people. The symptoms of the Nipah virus are fever, headaches, muscle pain, vomiting, sore throat, dizziness, altered consciousness, and Atypical pneumonia.

In infected people, it causes a range of illnesses from asymptomatic (subclinical) infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis. Nipah Virus Disease (NiVD) has a mortality rate of 50 per cent, making it one of the most dangerous viral diseases.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) developed RAMBAAN, a Mobile BSL-3 [MBSL-3] laboratory, an innovative initiative for providing the diagnostic surge capacity for enhancing the onsite laboratory services during the outbreaks of known and unknown high-risk pathogens.

RAMBAAN, a Made-in-India rapid action mobile lab, was also deployed in response to the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala in 2023 and 2024. “The MBSL-3 was successfully deployed and operationalised for the first time in response to the Nipah virus (NiV) outbreak in Kozhikode, Kerala, India, in September 2023 and again in Malappuram District of Kerala state in July 2024,” said ICMR.

This “laboratory on wheels” represents a significant advancement in outbreak investigation and public health emergency response in India. The ICMR is also working on an indigenous vaccine for the Nipah virus. (ANI)