• News
  • Movies
  • Money
  • Health
  • Videos
More
Hero Hero
  • Health News
  • Features
  • Food
  • Wellness
  • Diseases
  • Pregnancy
  • Parenting
  • Mental Health
  • Stress

Presence of Nipah virus found in fruit bats

Jun 21, 2019, 07:13 PM IST
T- T T+
bats
X
×

New Delhi: Twelve bat samples tested at the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune for the presence of Nipah virus has been found positive. Union health minister Harsh Vardhan while addressing the Lower House of Parliament on the Nipah outbreak in Kerala, said that out of 36 Pteropus species bats tested for Nipah, 12 (33 per cent) were found to be positive for anti-Nipah bat IgG antibodies.

Only one case of Nipah virus has been reported so far this year from Ernakulum district of Kerala and the patient has been discharged. The case was reported in the first week of June. Vardhan said a total of 50 suspects were identified and all of them tested negative for Nipah.

A total of 330 contacts are being followed up on a daily basis and no new case has been reported, he said.

The health minister said during the 2018 Nipah outbreak in Kerala, 52 Pteropus giganteus bats were collected and 10 samples (19 per cent) were found positive for Nipah by 'Real Time qRT-PCR' lab testing technique.

Human Nipah virus infection is an emerging zoonotic disease in which the virus is transmitted to humans from infected bats, pigs and other animals. Nipah virus outbreak in India has been reported from two states till now -- West Bengal (2001, 2007) and Kerala (2018 and now in 2019).

In 2001, there were 66 cases and 45 deaths due to Nipah virus in Siliguri. In 2007, five deaths and five cases were reported from Nadia in West Bengl. In 2018, 17 deaths and 19 cases were reported from Kozhikode and Malappuram in Kerala.

This year, so far, no fatality has been reported due to Nipah infection in Kerala, Vardhan said.

Elaborating on the measures taken by the government after the outbreak, he said the Union Health Ministry deployed a multi-disciplinary team consisting of experts from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), AIIMS and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in the affected district to assist and guide the state health authorities.

The team is supporting Kerala in investigations, contact tracing, sample testing and management of Nipah Virus Disease (NiVD), he asserted.

Point of Care Test facility has been established by NIV, Pune at Medical College Ernakulum. Experts from the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal were also involved with the local Animal Husbandry Department in the investigation, the minister said.

A Strategic Health Operation Centre (SHOC) at NCDC has been activated since June 4 and is coordinating with field teams on surveillance and response activities for Nipah containment.

A dedicated phone-line has been established at SHOC to answer queries of general public. Further, specific case definition, contact tracing and treatment and clinical management protocol have been provided to Kerala authorities, Vardhan said.

In response to a question, the Union minister said according to the information received from the Ministry of External Affairs, no screening for Nipah Virus is required for issuance of Indian visas to persons coming from Bangladesh and Malaysia.

(With inputs from PTI)

PRINT
EMAIL
COMMENT
 

Related Articles

Nipah fear grips family after dead bat found on courtyard; Vet doctor ends fear
News |
Specials |
Forest dept to find source of Nipah; samples collected from bats to be sent for examination
Money |
UAE bans import of fruits, vegetables from Kerala
News |
Bat culling will lead to crop loss, says first chiropterologist in Kerala
 
 
  • Tags :
    • Bats and Nipah Virus
    • Nipah Virus and Fruit Bats
More from this section
covid vaccine
US clears Johnson & Johnson single-shot Covid Vaccine for emergency use
Coconut tree climbing
Health insurance for coconut tree climbers
Edvard Moser
Our sense of space, time first to be impaired in Alzheimer's: Nobel laureate Edvard Moser
doctor
Youth in coma for 3 years gets new lease of life after treatment at Kottayam Medical College
Covid 19
UK variant of Covid-19 has mutated again: Scientists
News in Videos
News+ Kerala India NRI World Columns Features Offbeat Good News Crime
Leisure Movies & Music Sports Travel Books
Learn Money Education Agriculture
Lifestyle Health Tech Food Astrology
Multimedia Gallery Videos Mojo News News In Pics
Our Network Malayalam Print Mathrubhumi News TV Kappa TV Club FM Seed Silver Bullet FindHome Media School MBIFL Redmic
E-Paper
Subscription
Buy Books
Magazines
Classifieds
Archives
 
  • E-Paper
  • Subscription
  • Buy Books
  • Magazines
  • Classifieds
  • Archives
© Copyright Mathrubhumi 2021. All rights reserved.
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy
Terms of Use Archives
Ad Tariff Download App Classifieds
Buy Books Subscription e-Subscription
 
         
© Copyright Mathrubhumi 2021. All rights reserved.