Kerala may seek WHO help to battle Nipah virus infection

Kerala may seek WHO help to battle Nipah virus infection

Nipah virus

News:

1. The kerala government is planning to seek the help from World Health Organization regarding Nipah virus infection.

Important Facts:

2. National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has reported the Nipah virus infection incidence as the “third major outbreak in the country.”
3. The laboratory result of all the recent death has confirmed the presence of the Nipah virus.
4. A team of experts from All-India Institute of Medical Sciences is expected to visit the Kerala’s Kozhikode district.
5. The Nipah virus was transmitted from animals to humans where bats acts as its carriers.
6. Symptoms of Nipah virus infection include: Fever, Heachache, Vomiting, Dizziness, Altered Consciousness, Coma, Respiratory distress, Hallucination, Cough and Cold.
7. 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)

7. 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.

8.  To completely understand the cycle of infection a detailed tests would have to be conducted in accordance with Animal Husbandry.
9.  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.