Kerala: 14-year-old dies of Nipah virus in Kozhikode

The Kerala government on Saturday had confirmed Nipah infection in the boy, who hails from Malappuram district.

A 14-year-old boy, who was being treated for the Nipah virus, in Kerala's Kozhikode died on Sunday, PTI reported, citing the state government.

Health workers shifted people who have been in contact with a person infected with the Nipah virus to an isolation centre at a government hospital in Kozhikode in September 2023.(AFP)

The Kerala government on Saturday had confirmed Nipah infection in the boy, who hails from Malappuram district.

The Nipah virus infection is a zoonotic illness transferred from animals such as pigs and fruit bats to humans. Nipah usually spreads to humans from animals or through contaminated food, but it can also be transmitted directly between people.

Its symptoms include intense fever, vomiting and a respiratory infection, but severe cases can involve seizures and brain inflammation that results in a coma. There is no vaccine for Nipah.

Kerala health minister Veena George said the National Institute of Virology in Pune confirmed the infection in the boy, who was earlier on ventilator at a private hospital.

"…The contact tracing has begun. High-risk contacts have already been isolated, and their samples have been sent for testing," George said, according to PTI.

George added that the epicentre was Pandikkad in the district and that precautionary measures had already been initiated.

She urged people in the Pandikkad locality and the nearby hospitals to wear masks in public spaces and avoid visiting patients in hospitals.

"A three-km radius from the epicentre at Pandikkad will be strictly observed and restrictions will be imposed," George added.

The state health department said that it was informed about the suspected Nipah infection by the private hospital in Kozhikode on Friday.

The department sprung into action and tested the samples at the laboratories in Kerala and also sent them to the virology institute in Pune.

It further warned people not to eat fruits which are half-eaten or bitten by birds or animals.

"Eat fruits only after washing them properly. Do not consume beverages such as toddy which are stored in open containers," it said.

Nipah outbreaks have been reported in Kozhikode district in 2018, 2021 and 2023 and in Ernakulam district in 2019, and the presence of Nipah virus antibodies had been detected in bats in Kozhikode, Wayanad, Idukki, Malappuram and Ernakulam districts.

In 2018, at least 17 people died after being infected by the Nipah virus in Kerala.