Health officials in Kerala, India, have implemented safety measures following the death of a 14-year-old boy from the Nipah virus over the weekend. In response, 406 individuals who were in contact with the boy have been identified, with 140 considered high-risk. The Kerala Health Department has mandated that residents of Malappuram district wear face masks in public, limit social interactions, and steer clear of consuming fruit that may have been contaminated by animals like bats and birds.
To curb the virus’s spread, schools have been closed and business hours restricted in Pandikkad and the nearby Anakkayam. Nipah virus, which is zoonotic, can be transmitted from certain animals to humans, particularly through contaminated fruits and direct human contact. Symptoms often include fever, headaches, and muscle pain, but currently, there is no known treatment or vaccine for the virus.
The teenager had reportedly consumed fruit from a location frequented by bats and later succumbed to cardiac arrest. The health department is awaiting test results for 13 individuals, including his parents, with some showing symptoms. Originally recorded in Malaysia in 1999, Nipah has caused several outbreaks in India, particularly in Kerala and the Kozhikode district, where three outbreaks have been documented since 2018.