Thiruvananthapuram: The samples of eight individuals who came in contact with a 12-year-old boy who died due to Nipah virus infection in Kerala have come out negative, informed Kerala’s Health Minister, Veena George, this morning. The samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune for testing. The minister said that it was a big relief.

Five more samples are currently being tested at Kozhikode Medical College, which has a testing facility for Nipah, set up in coordination with NIV. Overall, 48 high-risk contacts, including the eight who have been tested, are admitted at Kozhikode Medical College. These include 31 from Kozhikode, 4 from Wayanad, 8 from Malappuram and 1 from Palakkad. The testing of samples for these will likely be completed today, stated the minister.

A team from the National Centre for Disease Control is also present in Kerala, to extend technical support to the state.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Nipah virus infection can lead to an array of clinical presentations in humans, ranging from asymptomatic infection to acute respiratory infection and fatal encephalitis. The case fatality rate is around 40-75%, and varies by outbreak depending on local capabilities for epidemiological surveillance and clinical management.

The virus can be transmitted to humans from animals, like bats or pigs, or through contaminated foods. It can also be transmitted directly from human-to-human. Fruit bats are the natural hosts of Nipah virus, as per the information available on the WHO website.

The primary treatment for humans affected by Nipah virus infection is supportive care.

Source: NDTV