India puts restrictions in place after two Nipah virus deaths

The WHO classifies Nipah among the diseases that pose "the greatest risk to public health because of their epidemic potential" and for which there are "no or insufficient means of control".

Staff members at a hospital set up a sign reading "Nipah isolation area, entry strictly prohibited," in Kozhikode district, Kerala, September 12, 2023. REUTERS - STRINGER

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Indian authorities are working to contain an outbreak of Nipah virus in the south of the country after two people with Nipah died. Public gatherings have been limited and some schools have been closed in Kerala, authorities said on Thursday.

There is no vaccine or treatment for this rare virus transmitted from bats or pigs to humans and whose mortality rate is high, from 40% to 75%, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Three other people have tested positive and more than 700 people, including 153 medical workers, are under observation after being in contact with those infected, health authorities said.

See alsoThe mysteries of the Nipah virus

At least four people were hospitalized, including the nine-year-old child of one of the victims. Initially transmitted by animals such as fruit bats or pigs, it can also be transmitted by direct contagion between humans, according to the WHO. The incubation period varies between about four and fourteen days, but it can be up to 45 days.

Symptoms include high fever, vomiting and respiratory infection. The most severe cases can lead to fatal encephalitis and comas.

First identified in 1998

The WHO classifies Nipah among the diseases that pose "the greatest risk to public health because of their epidemic potential" and for which there are "no or insufficient means of control".

In 2018, at least 17 people died after being infected with the virus in Kerala state.

The virus was first identified in 1998 after spreading among pig farmers in Malaysia. It cost the lives of more than 260 people.

In India, the first outbreak of Nipah was reported in the state of West Bengal in 2001.

(

With AFP)

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