A team of experts has been deployed in India’s southern state of Kerala to gather samples of fluids from bats and fruit trees in an area where the deadly Nipah virus has claimed the lives of two individuals, with three more testing positive.
This marks the fourth Nipah virus outbreak in the state since 2018, and there is currently no vaccine available for this virus, which spreads through contact with the bodily fluids of infected bats, pigs, or humans, resulting in mortality rates of up to 75% among those infected.
“We are conducting tests on human beings…and simultaneously, experts are collecting fluid samples from forested areas that could potentially be the epicenter of the spread,” stated Veena George, the state’s health minister, in an interview with Reuters.
Samples of bat urine, animal excrement, and partially consumed fruit were gathered from Maruthonkara, the village where the initial victim resided, adjacent to a 300-acre (121-hectare) forest inhabited by various bat species.
During a previous outbreak in 2018, fruit bats in the region had tested positive for the Nipah virus, marking the state’s first encounter with the virus.
“We are currently in a state of heightened vigilance and surveillance,” George explained, adding that 77 individuals have been identified as having a high risk of infection.
In the past 48 hours, nearly 800 individuals in the Kozhikode district of the state were tested for the virus, resulting in two adults and a child being hospitalized for observation after testing positive.
In response to the outbreak, nine villages in the district have closed public offices, government buildings, educational institutions, and places of worship, while public transportation in the affected area has been suspended.
The neighboring states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have mandated testing for visitors arriving from Kerala and have plans to isolate anyone displaying influenza-like symptoms.
The Nipah virus is capable of infecting a variety of animals, increasing the risk of transmission. It can be contracted through direct contact with infected individuals or by consuming contaminated food.
The virus was initially identified in 1999 during an outbreak of illness among pig farmers and others who had close contact with the animals in Malaysia and Singapore.
Nipah outbreaks are sporadic, with previous cases in South Asia traced back to the consumption of items contaminated with bat excrement.
Kerala’s first Nipah outbreak resulted in 21 out of 23 infected individuals succumbing to the virus, while subsequent outbreaks in 2019 and 2021 claimed the lives of two individuals each.
In May, a Reuters investigation revealed that parts of Kerala were among the most vulnerable areas globally for outbreaks of bat-borne viruses, as deforestation for development brought humans and wildlife into closer proximity.