In a concerning development, the Kerala Health Department has officially confirmed that two individuals who recently succumbed to "unnatural fever" in Kozhikode were infected with the deadly Nipah virus. The department, suspecting a Nipah infection, promptly dispatched samples to the ICMR-National Institute of Virology in Pune. On the evening of Tuesday, September 12, their fears were confirmed as the presence of the Nipah virus was detected.
According to reports, Health Minister Veena George, addressing a press conference, disclosed that family members of the 49-year-old deceased man, who had been admitted to the hospital with fever, are currently undergoing treatment. Among these patients are the man's nine-year-old son, a ten-month-old infant, and an elderly relative. The nine-year-old boy is in a critical condition and is receiving ventilator support, although his vital signs remain stable, according to the minister. It was also revealed that both deceased individuals had come into contact with each other at the hospital.
This grim situation recalls the Nipah outbreak in Kerala in 2018 when 18 confirmed cases and 17 deaths were reported. However, the second outbreak in 2019 did not result in any fatalities. Sadly, three years later, another case of the Nipah virus has emerged in the state, with a 12-year-old boy succumbing to the infection in Kozhikode district in September 2021.