2024-07-22 15:49:42
Another 60 people are reported to be at risk of contracting the disease.
Kerala state authorities say that those who came in contact with the deceased teenager have been isolated and investigated.
Residents of the region have been asked to take precautions, such as wearing masks in public places and not visiting loved ones who are being treated in the hospital.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Nipah is a zoonotic virus that is transmitted from animals to humans. However, it can also be transmitted through contaminated food or through human contact.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms often start with a headache and drowsiness, but a person can slip into a coma in just a few days.
Nipah virus can cause acute respiratory syndrome, where the lungs cannot get enough oxygen, and fatal encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain.
WHO has described this virus as a priority because its pathogen can cause an epidemic.
Since the virus was first reported in 2018, it has killed dozens of people in the state of Kerala.
The 14-year-old died on Sunday, just a day after being diagnosed with the virus, according to Indian media.
A region of the state of Kerala is singled out for special danger. A study published by Reuters last year found that Kerala, with its tropical climate, rapid urbanization and rapid deforestation, created “ideal conditions for a virus like Nipah to emerge”.
Experts say the loss of natural habitats brings wild animals closer to humans, which helps the virus jump from animals to humans.
The Kerala state government recently announced that it is preparing an action plan to contain the Nipah virus outbreak.
Parents pay BBC inf.
2024-07-22 15:49:42