Now this is a virus none of us has heard of before. Yet another possibility for a global pandemic they say.
A teenage boy in India’s Kerala state has tragically passed away after contracting the Nipah virus, an ominous pathogen that experts fear could ignite the next global pandemic. The 14-year-old succumbed to the virus following a cardiac arrest, plunging the region into a state of high alert. Now, health authorities are meticulously monitoring 214 individuals, with 60 deemed to be at high risk of infection.
14-year-old boy from Kerala who tested positive for Nipah Virus has died
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.#NipahVirus #Nipah #Kerala #Mallapuram pic.twitter.com/ZI3sZiWxF5— Republic (@republic) July 21, 2024
Nipah virus, belonging to the paramyxovirus family alongside measles and mumps, carries a chilling fatality rate, killing up to 75% of those it infects, starkly contrasting with COVID-19’s mortality rate of under 1%. With no available vaccine or treatment, the virus poses a significant threat, simmering quietly with the potential to unleash widespread devastation.
This incident follows a major outbreak in Kerala in September, which was the largest recorded globally, infecting 30 people. Despite the mounting fears, local doctors in Kerala have sought to assuage public concerns, insisting that the likelihood of an extensive outbreak remains low at this stage. Close contacts of the deceased boy will be under close surveillance for the next three to seven days, the typical incubation period for Nipah.
Transmission occurs through contact with infected bodily fluids, including feces, blood, and saliva, or via respiratory droplets. Veena George, the state health minister, confirmed the boy’s death, revealing he died from cardiac arrest caused by the virus.
The precise manner in which the boy contracted Nipah remains unclear. Generally, humans become infected through direct contact with pig excrement, as pigs contract the virus after consuming food or water tainted by fruit bat droppings. Additionally, people can become infected by eating contaminated fruit.
#WATCh | 14-year-old boy dies of Nipah virus in Kerala’s Malappuram district | DD India
Health Minister Veena George says the district administration will hold talks with his parents on the final rites and take a decision as per the Nipah protocol@siddharthb11493 pic.twitter.com/XET0GfDg2L
— DD India (@DDIndialive) July 21, 2024
Symptoms of Nipah virus infection start with fever, cough, sore throat, and breathing difficulties. As the infection progresses, it can enter the bloodstream and reach the brain, causing encephalitis, or brain swelling, which is often fatal. The virus can also lead to severe pneumonia, another potentially deadly outcome.
Given its high fatality rate and the absence of effective treatments, Nipah virus has been placed on the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ list of potential pandemic pathogens. The virus even inspired the 2011 film “Contagion,” which depicted a global pandemic triggered by a deadly virus.
Experts express deep concern over the potential havoc a virus like Nipah could wreak. Michael Norris, Ph.D., from the University of Toronto, highlighted the catastrophic scenario of a paramyxovirus as contagious as measles and as deadly as Nipah emerging. Benhur Lee, a virologist at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine, pointed out the difficulties in developing treatments and vaccines for paramyxoviruses due to their high lethality, which impedes extensive research.
The #Kerala teen, who was infected with #NipahVirus , dies in #Kozhikode hospital, while undergoing treatment.
The 14-year-old boy from Kerala’s Malappuram district, who tested positive for the Nipah virus, died at the government medical hospital in Kozhikode on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/qximXBQw1U
— 𝐀𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐚 𝐘𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐯 (𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐢🚩) (@anyraosahabni) July 21, 2024
Major Points:
- A 14-year-old boy in Kerala, India, has died from the Nipah virus, raising pandemic fears.
- Health officials are monitoring 214 individuals, with 60 at high risk of infection.
- Nipah virus has a fatality rate of up to 75%, with no available vaccine or treatment.
- The virus spreads through contact with bodily fluids or contaminated fruit.
- Experts emphasize the severe pandemic potential of the Nipah virus, stressing the need for vigilance.
Charles William III – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News
