Nipah scare: Avoid trips to Kozhikode, suggest Bengaluru doctors

BENGALURU: With the number of deaths rising in Kozhikode, Kerala due to Nipah virus, there has been concern among many Keralites hailing from that district and living in Bengaluru. According to doctors, immediate precautions have to be taken to prevent trips to Kozhikode. For those who have travelled from Bengaluru to Kerala, precautions include avoiding eating fruit fallen on the ground and drinking raw date palm sap in Kerala.

Nipah virus was initially identified in 1999 during an outbreak of encephalitis (acute inflammation in the brain) and respiratory illness among pig farmers in Malaysia and Singapore.The name is derived from Sungai Nipah, a village in the Malaysian peninsula where pig farmers fell ill with encephalitis. The same year, an outbreak was seen in Siliguri, West Bengal. Cases have also been reported in Bangladesh.
Infection can spread through touch and breath
Dr Ambanna Gowda, internal medicine specialist, Fortis hospital, said the infection could become an epidemic in some time and the concerns are valid. “Those who plan to travel to Kozhikode should give it a second thought and avoid it for some time. It’s a transmissible infection. An infected person can potentially spread the infection by touch and through the breath. There’s no vaccine and no medicine,” he said.
Dr Shivakumar R, senior consultant, neurologist at Sakra World Hospital, said the most vulnerable persons are medical professionals treating infected patients. “There is a lack of information on the safety period, for how many days an infected person should be quarantined and who is most vulnerable. It’s better to abstain from travelling to affected areas,” he said.
Keralites in Bengaluru are understandably concerned. While Vidhya Nair, a first-year degree student here who hails from Kozhikode, has cancelled a trip to visit her grandma, Febin Joshy. “I’m worried about the situation there,” she said.
(With inputs from Aman Nidheesh)