Kerala reports new Nipah virus case in Palakkad; Suspected case in Malappuram

Kerala's health authorities are on high alert after a 38-year-old woman from Nattukkal in Palakkad district tested positive for the Nipah virus on Friday. Simultaneously, a suspected case from Malappuram district is currently awaiting confirmation from the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune. The confirmed patient is presently undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Perinthalmanna, Malappuram district.

Following the confirmation, local panchayat president Muhammed Saleem KP stated that surveillance measures have been immediately stepped up. Ward number 8 in Nattukkal has been declared a containment zone, along with partial restrictions in several other wards within a three-kilometer radius. District health authorities have initiated extensive contact tracing to identify all individuals who may have come into contact with the confirmed patient before her diagnosis, with at least 100 people identified as high-risk contacts so far.

State Health Minister Veena George confirmed that Nipah virus protocols were activated in Malappuram, Palakkad, and Kozhikode districts even before the test results were confirmed. As part of these measures, 26 teams have been formed in each region to conduct rigorous contact tracing, monitor symptoms of quarantined individuals, and disseminate public information. Nipah virus, a zoonotic virus primarily transmitted from fruit bats and animals like pigs, can cause severe brain-swelling fever in humans, with a high mortality rate ranging from 40% to 75%. There is currently no vaccine or specific treatment available. Kerala has experienced recurring Nipah outbreaks since 2018, with significant fatalities: 17 deaths in 2018, one in 2019, one in 2021, two in 2023, and two in 2024. Most recently, a 42-year-old woman tested positive and recovered in May of this year.