Nipah virus season: Kerala issues warning against summer outbreak; precautionary measures

The Kerala health department has warned against the Nipah outbreak as the virus may surface during the summer. Antibodies against the virus had already been found in the fruit bats in Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Ernakulam and Idukki districts. Meanwhile, the health department has been coordinating the preventive measures against Nipah in all the health centres in the district. Wayanad DMO Dr P Dineesh said that cooperation from the public and alertness are essential to fight Nipah scientifically.

Here are some precautionary measures against Nipah:
1) Do not eat fruits bitten by birds and animals
2) Wash the fruits thoroughly before consumption
3) Do not consume drinks like toddy that are stored in open pots or vessels
4) Wear gloves while picking up fruits or betelnuts from the ground
5) Use gloves if you need to handle fruits or visit the areas where bats are spotted. If you touch them, then wash the hands using soap and water
6) Do not disrupt the natural habitat of bats by driving them away. It would only scare them, making them produce more body secretions.

Last year, Kerala had two fatalities due to Nipah. A 14-year-old boy died in July in Malappuram, and a 24-year-old student also lost his life in September. As for the 14-year-old, it was learnt that he ate a wild hog plum while on a weekend trip in an area with many fruit-eating bats. The Nipah virus has an incubation period of 14 days. Large fruit bats, part of the Pteropus genus, are the natural reservoir of the Nipah virus, and pigs are also intermediate hosts. The virus can live on fruits for two to 30 hours, depending on weather conditions, temperature and other factors.