• Sample collected from the bats in the affected areas have tested negative for the viruses
• The team of kerala doctors who helped in detecting the presence of virus fast is appreciable.

Nipah virus has hit south India like a tsunami. Unexpected and disastrous. People started to panic. The news spread all around in a blink. It’s been said that bats were the primary hosts of this virus and stay away from those creatures. But now, the scientific tests have proven that wrong. According to a report submitted by a central medical team to the health ministry, Samples collected from bats in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts, Kerala, where 12 people have died of Nipah infection, have tested negative for the virus.

In the previous Nipah outbreaks, fruit bats, or Pteropodidae were the hosts through which the virus has spread. But this time, not only does the bat’s sample, but also the samples of five cattle, five goats and five pigs within five-kilometer radius also tested negative for the virus. This new information has raised concern in the medical field. If not these animals, then what caused Nipah virus spread in Kerala? The medical team is now looking into other possible reasons behind the outbreak following the report findings.

The first victim of Nipah Virus in Kerala died on May 5th. The role of three doctors in taking the initiative in detecting the virus by raising their concerns regarding the symptoms is appreciable. Kerala, which has never been known with NiV virus before couldn’t have confirmed the presence of NiV without the help of Dr. A.S. Anoop Kumar, C. Jayakrishnan, and Dr.G.Arun Kumar. The first known case of NiV, Muhammad Salih was admitted in Baby Memorial Hospital, Calicut on 17th May. The Doctors conducted several tests and hasn’t found anything unusual. But when they heard that someone else in the patient’s family died before two weeks, Doctors started to inquire more about the case. The unusual symptoms in patient raised doubts in Dr.Jayakrishnan’s mind. He shared it with Dr. Anoop and they’ve sent the test sample to Manipal. Dr.G.Arun Kumar, the Head of Viral Studies Department of Manipal Kasturba Medical College almost concluded that it is Nipah and sent it to Pune Virology Institute to confirm. The next day, the patient died and the condition of his relatives who were also admitted to the hospital became worse. From then on people has been living in a constant fear of Nipah.

According to the reports, the death toll has risen to 14 till now. Though there are 26 people under observation and three who have tested positive are under intensive treatment, the fresh instances of Nipah have gone down. With the test results of sample bats of a particular variety seen in the affected area proved negative, a special team from Pune is arriving to see how best they can take samples from other varieties of bats also found in this district. Authorities are also figuring out the travel details of the first victim Sabith, to find out from where he got the virus infection from.

Source: Times of India, ET Healthworld, The Newsminute, Manoramaonline.

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