KOZHIKODE: The deadly 2018 outbreak of the Nipah virus in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts of Kerala, has surfaced again with the death of a 12-year old boy on Sunday, September 05, due to the infection at a private hospital from Pazhoor, in the Chathamangalam gram panchayat.

The child had reportedly developed a fever on August 27 days after he consumed a spiny fruit called Rambutan. He was first treated to a local clinic for suspected brain fever, however, as his condition deteriorated he was shifted to a private hospital and later to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital. 

Since the ICU at the medical college was full with COVID-19 patients the family requested to shift him to another Aster MIMS Hospital where he passed away a day after Nipah infection was confirmed by the National Institute of Virology (NIA) Pune. The body of the boy was cremated at the Kannamparambu cemetery in Kozhikode following all the protocols advised by the health department. 

As soon as the virus was confirmed, acting swiftly both the state and the central government's teams were quick to take stock of the situation, declared the Chathamangalam Panchyat area as a containment zone and began tracing the people who had come in touch with the boy and the family while sounding alert in the neighbouring districts.  

According to Kerala, health minister Veena George, the administration has immediately isolated nearly 30 close members of the deceased child's family and have put them under observation and their samples are being sent to NIA. 

At the same time, contact tracing has identified over 180 people who had directly or indirectly come in touch with patients, who will be quarantined and will be under observation.

George has also rushed to Kozhikode to assess the situation in and areas around the areas Chathamangalam Panchayat and said that things were under control and there was no need to panic as every minute details were being analysed. 

Those who all had eaten rambutan fruits in the village are also being screened, although as of now, there is no indication that the fruit may be the reason for the infection to have passed on to the infected boy. Chathamangalam is a gram panchayat spread over 40 km is predominantly an agricultural village comprising valleys with fruit trees, paddy fields and other cultivations.  

The Nipah virus infection which was traced to the fruit bats is a deadly zoonotic infection that has a very high fatality rate. Bats harbour a significantly higher proportion of zoonotic viruses than all other mammalian orders. 

The symptoms typically start to appear five to 14 days after exposure with symptoms like fever, headache, and drowsiness, followed by disorientation and mental confusion as Encephalitis, inflammation of the brain, is a potentially fatal complication of Nipah virus infection. 

Nipah virus's first outbreak was in 2018 localized in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts and claimed 17 lives, but was contained and declared over on 10 June 2018. This was the third Nipah Virus outbreak in India, the earlier being in 2001 and 2007, both in the eastern state of West Bengal. 

A stray new case of Nipah virus infection was reported from Kochi in June 2019, however, the patient a young 23-year-old student recovered from the same.