Amitha Reji George, Pune
Maharashtra is on alert after the Nipah outbreak on Kerala that left six people infected and two killed. According to officials no cases are reported in Maharashtra yet, but precautions are being taken.
Following a string of Nipah Virus infections that surfaced in Kerala’s Kozhikode District in September of 2023, this notice in Maharashtra was issued. Health authorities are rigorously finding, isolating, and treating probable Nipah virus infections in order to reduce the risk and guarantee the public’s health and safety
Initially a comprehensive survey of patients exhibiting symptoms similar to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) was carried out to find potential cases, said Dr Pratap Singh Saranikar, Joint Director of the Public Health Department. In the entire state, surveillance needs to be exercised due to the Nipah virus outbreak. Anyone with symptoms resembling headache, somnolence, fever, unconsciousness, and mental confusion could be considered Nipah virus patients. It is important to note that these patients must have tested negative for Japanese encephalitis or another encephalitis.
Travel history to Nipah-affected areas, particularly Kerala, Northeast India, or regions close to Bangladesh, is a key determinant in detecting the possible Nipah cases with this. When these instances are found, patients need to be sent to isolation wards and their samples need to be submitted to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), in Pune, for in-depth analysis. Doctors have suggested avoiding eating fruits that have fallen in forests or open fields to lower the risk of spreading the virus.
While caring for Nipah patients, medical practitioners have been instructed by the state public health agency to seriously follow the universal precautions advised by the World Health Organization.
Fruit bats can spread the zoonotic virus known as the Nipah virus to people. The death rate for this infection is significant. This infection results in encephalitis, which swells the brain and can be fatal.
Kerala state government has claimed that the Nipah outbreak is currently under control, but the threat posed by the contagious disease was still present. No new incidents have been recorded. 915 people are being held in isolation at their homes, according to health minister Veena George.