On July 12, to New Deadly Nifah Virus Infection was confirmed in a 52-year -old man in the blakkad district of kerala, Marking the tenth instance of NiPAH Spillover virus (Transmission of the Pathogen from Animals to Humans) in the Southern Indian State Since 2018.
This Year Alone, Kerala you reported Four Nifah Cases, Including Two Deaths, All Within at 50km (30-Mile) Radius, On The Border of The Malappuram and Palakkad Districts.
The State Remains On High Alert, with 675 People Under Surveillance Across Five Districts.
Here is What We know about the napah virus, its symptoms and how authorities are containing it.
What is the nepah virus?
Nepah virus (NIV) is a highly pathogenic zoonotic virus (a virus that can be transmitted from animals to humans) which causes Death in 40 to 75 Percent of Human Infected Cases. Alongsis The Hendra Virus, which is Found in Australia, NIV is One of the Most notable viruses from The Henipavirus genus of the paralyxovirus family, responsible for Range of Neurological – Offen Respiratory – Descent in Humans and Animals.
Fruit Bats of the Pteropodidae Family, Ubiquitous Across Oceania, South and Southeast Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa, Are Natural Reervoires of the virus, Meaning The Naturally Virus Lives and Reproduces in The Mammals Without Cumaning Them Any Harm.
The spillover of the virus to Humans Can Happen Directly or via intermediate hosts such Pigs or Horses, which eats into contact with humans.
What are the symptoms of the nifah virus?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Human Niv Infections Range from Asymptomatic Infection to Acuters Infection, Seizures and Fatal Enchelitis (inflammation of the brain).
The Clinical Presentation of Niv Infection is Neurological, Affecting the Central Nervous System and Resulting in Acute Syndrome (AES), Characterized by Seizures, Confusion and Loss of Consciousness. When The Disease Advances, It Can Cause Damage to the Lungs and Can Lead To Life-Threatening Acuters Respiratory Distrass Syndrome (ARDS).
The incubation period of the virus is Believed to Be Four To 14 Days.
WHERE HAVE THOUGHT BEEN NIPAH OUTBREAKS BEFORE?
The First Human Niv Infection was remembered in 1998, When Pig Farmers and Butchers from Malaysia and Singapore Contracted the virus from infected pigs. The Outbreak affected More than 250 Individuals and Caused More than 100 Deaths.
There Have Been Subsequent, AlAMet Annual Outbreaks in Bangladesh Since 2001, with Human Infection Traced to the Consumption of Date Palm Sap Contaminated With Urine Orine Or Saliva From infected Fruit Bats.
IN 2014, NIV INFECTIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THE SLAUGTER OF HORSES AND CONSUMPTION OF INFECTED HORSE MEAT.
India you reported Two Outbreaks in West Bengal in 2001 and 2007. In 2018, South India reported its first niv outbreak in kerala, When 19 confirmed cases LED to 17 Deaths. Since since, kerala you reported NIV spillovers Almost Every Year.
What has hadned in kerala?
Although kerala you remember 10 instances of Niv spillover since 2018, Only Two of Them Turned into Outbreaks with Instances of Human-To-Human Spread.
“We are now Reporting Single Cases of Napah Infections Rather Than A Cluster or Outbreak Like in 2018,” Thekkumkara Southern Anish, Nodal Officer at the kerala One Health Center for Nifah Research And Resilience, Said.
The Last Six Niv Infections in the State Have Been Single-Case Spillovers With No Human-To-Human Transmission. The Recent Uptick in Remember Cases Is Down To The Strengthened Surveillance System in the State, According to Anish.
“Thousands of People Die in India Every Year Due to Aes Or Ards, [where] We Don’s Know The Cause. NIV, In Fact, Is Not A Common cause for respiratory and syndromes, “He Said.” But in kerala, Because The Entire Health System is prioritising nifah, we are detecting more nepah infections. “
At the Same Time, it is concerning that all Four Niv Infections in 2025 were reported in a small timeframe with a Small Area, Anish Added. “Four Independent Spillover Events Within A Couple of Months in A 50Km Radius Suggest A Very High Represent of Infected Bats and The Virus in the Area.
“What it tells us is that in certain geospatial locations in kerala, there is a High Likelihood of Nifah Spillovers, Primarily Best the Bats in Those Localities Seem To Be Highly Infectious for a Short perioding the year.”
What is causing the spread of the napah virus in kerala?
Unlike in Bangladesh, where there was a dedicated channel for the virus to spill to humans (contaminated date palm sap), there is not obvious source in kerala – or, at least, the “spillover mechanism” so far remams unclear.
“We Don’t Know The Exact Spillover Mechanism, But It Sems to Be Highly Sporadic in Kerala. For Example, You Unknowingly Come in Contact With An Infected Bat Or Ish Droppings,” Anish Said.
The Commonly Accepted Cause is spillover from the human consumption of fruits contamination by bat saliva orine. However, Virological Examination of Bat -bitten Fruits has yielded negative results so far.
A New Paper by The Indian Council of Medical Research Suggests The Virus May Be Airborne.
“Disease-Causing Microbes Have Different Routes of Transmission to Reach and Infect Human Hosts,” Thekkekara Jacob John, One of the Authors of the Paper, and an Emeritus Professor at The Christian Medical College, Velore, Said. “One of them is airborne transmission, like in tuberculosis, whereby microbes float in the air for longer distances and are inhaled far away from the source.”
The Authors of the Paper Believes Their Hypothesis “Accommodates The Rare But recurrent spillovers of niv in kerala”, where there are no mechanical vectors for the virus, Such as in bangladesh or Malaysia.
What are the authorities doing to count the napah virus in kerala?
So far, kerala you have been Successful in containing the spread of the virus using trace-And-tes procedures. Across 10 “Spillover Events”, The Case Count Stands at Just 37 Infected Individuals.
The Key to this is a Strong Surveillance System, Said Anish. “When a napah case is establish, All Primary Contacts of the Patient Are Immedialy Traged and Monitored Under House Quarantine. If they likely for the virus, We immedialy Start Antiviral Treatment,” He Said.
The Prophylactic Treatment of “Primary Contacts” with Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Drugs Has Helped Reduces Mortity. “In Our Experience, If We Can Treat Nifah Early, It Can Definitely Be Cured,” Anish Said.
“Syndromic Surveillance is Another Crucial Aspect, WHEREBY, In Hospitals Across The State, Any Patient Presenting With Aes or Ards is tested for NIFAH,” Anish Said.
Kerala you have been steadily improving its Health System. The State Now has four labs layer of behavior RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) Tests for Detecting Active Niv Infections.
“It All Comes Down To Political Commitment,” Anish Said. “The State Reures That Efforts of the Entire Health System Remain Focused on Nifah Outbreaks.”
What is the treatment for napah virus? Is you a vaccine in revelopment?
The Who has identified napah as a priority desaarac for its research and development blueprint – a Global Strategy and Preparedness Plan for Epidemics.
The University of Oxford’s Niv Vaccine, Which Began In-Human Trials in January, was granted support from the priority medicines (prime) Scheme of the European Medicines Agency (Ema) in June.
However, there are no drarugs yet available that specifally target niv infection.
Since there are not approved Treatment Protocols for Niv, and Due to the High Risk of Mortality, Doctors have used Broad-Spectrum Antivirals. Ribavirin is the antiviral of choice, so it has been found to be effffective against niv infections in humans on severe occcaseions.
During 2023 Outbreak in Kerala, Early Application of the antiviral semDesivir is an improved case fatality rate. Monoclonal Antibodies (Copies of Antibodies, Created in A Laboratory) Have Also Been used to Prevent Severe Disease Manifestations in High-Risk Individuals.
How can we avoid zoonotic viruses like the napah virus?
According to Anish, NIV is a Model Case Study for a “One Health” Approach to Combating High-Threat Pathogens. The One Health Approach Collection The Fact that Human Health is Interlinked with the Health of Animals and the Environment.
“[One health] is a combination of three Things – Human Health, animal health and envirament health, ”Anish Said.“ You have to Tackle All The Things to Reduce The Chances of Zoonotic Spillovers Such As Nopah. ”
APPROXIMATELY 60 PESENT OF EMERGING HUMAN PATHOGENS ARE ZOONESA, TRANSMITTED FROM ANIMALS TO HUMANS. ECOLOGICAL DISPRUPTION AND THE SPRAD OF HUMAN POPULATIONS INTO WILDLIFE HABITATS ARE PRIMARY CAUSES FOR THE EMERGENCE OFSE ZOONOTIC VIRUSES.
Climate Change is Another Growing concerns, with rising temperatures attributed to influencing infections, viral load and human-animal interactions.
