Kerala reports new Nipah virus case in Palakkad

Kochi: A 38-year-old woman in Kerala’s Palakkad district has tested positive for the Nipah virus, while a suspected case from Malappuram district is currently awaiting test results, health officials said on Friday.

The woman, who is a resident of Nattukkal, is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Perinthalmanna in Malappuram district. Her samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for Nipah virus testing.

“The district collector informed me that the woman has tested positive for Nipah virus,” president of the local panchayat Muhammed Saleem KP said.

Saleem said that officials were directed to step up surveillance measures and declare certain areas as containment zones. “Ward number 8 was declared as containment zones along with a few other wards, partially, that fall within a three-kilometre-radius,” he added.

The district health authorities have drawn up a list of the places the woman had travelled and may have come in contact with people before testing positive.

At least 100 people are expected to be high-risk contacts of the Nipah patient, an official said.

State health minister Veena George said that protocols for Nipah virus were already implemented in Malappuram, Palakkad and Kozhikode before the test results came in.

“As part of the protocols, 26 teams have been formed in each region for contact tracing, monitoring symptoms of quarantined people and informing the public,” he said.

Nipah virus, which originates from fruit bats and animals like pigs, can cause a severe brain-swelling fever in humans. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified the virus as a priority pathogen due to its potential to trigger epidemics. There is no vaccine yet to prevent Nipah virus infection, nor is there any specific treatment for it. Symptoms include fever, headache, cough, sore throat, vomiting, and disorientation. Deaths may occur in 40% to 75% of cases, and the virus has a high mortality rate.

Kerala has been reporting Nipah virus infections almost every year since 2018. In the first outbreak that year, 17 people died. In 2019, a single case was reported, and the patient recovered. In 2021, a 12-year-old boy succumbed to the infection. The 2023 outbreak saw eight confirmed cases, of which two patients died while the others recovered. In 2024, two deaths were reported. Most recently, in May this year, a 42-year-old woman tested positive and recovered.