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Kerala may seek WHO help to battle Nipah virus infection
Nipah virus
News:
- The kerala government is planning to seek the help from World Health Organization regarding Nipah virus infection.
Important Facts:
- National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has reported the Nipah virus infection incidence as the “third major outbreak in the country.”
- The laboratory result of all the recent death has confirmed the presence of the Nipah virus.
- A team of experts from All-India Institute of Medical Sciences is expected to visit the Kerala’s Kozhikode district.
- The Nipah virus was transmitted from animals to humans where bats acts as its carriers.
- Symptoms of Nipah virus infection include: Fever, Heachache, Vomiting, Dizziness, Altered Consciousness, Coma, Respiratory distress, Hallucination, Cough and Cold.
- Diagnosis include:
- virus isolation and real time polymerase chain reaction test (RT-PCR) from throat and nasal swabs, cerebrospinal fluid, urine, and blood samples
- Antibody detection by ELISA (IgG and IgM)
- Preventive measures
- Wash, peel and cook fruits before eating them.
- Hand washing at home to avoid primary infection and transmission.
- Quarantine of those infected has been suggested as it can be highly contagious.
- To completely understand the cycle of infection a detailed tests would have to be conducted in accordance with Animal Husbandry.
- A similar outbreaks has reported in West Bengal which was linked to Bangladesh, where panic resulted in many people to leave there residence.
Note: Refer 21 may 9 pm News for more details.
