Nipah Virus news: Soldier in Fort Williams latest victim - 14 dead in deadly outbreak
A soldier from Kerala who was posted at the Eastern Command headquarters Fort William, in Calcutta, died on May 25, according to the Times of India. Seenu Prasad, who had been on a month’s leave in Kerala before rejoining duty on May 13, was admitted to Command military hospital, in Calcutta, on May 20. It has not yet been confirmed whether he had contracted the Nipah virus. However, his boldly fluids will be sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune, the only agency in the country able to certify whether it is a case of the virus or not.
The Nipah virus was first reported in the northern district of Kozhikode on May 19 and has since spread to the neighbouring Malappuram district in Kerala. Officials have yet to confirm the origin of the outbreak, but it is spreading between humans. It has been reported that the virus infected people who ate fruit bitten by infected bats. The first fatal cases were reported on Saturday from a family in Kozhikode, as two brothers in their late 20s and their 50-year-old aunt died from the virus.
Getty Animal Husbandry department and Forest officials deposit a bat into a container after catching it
The World Health Organisation said fruit bats were found in a well near their house, along with rabbits being bred that had died recently. A nurse, who has been identified as Lini, died after treating patients at Perambra Taluk Hospital in Kozhikode. Most symptoms are either neurological and can result in high fever, severe headaches, or seizures. The virus can also affect people’s respiratory systems as they may suffer from a cough or have difficulty breathing.
Getty Medical personnel wearing protective suits check patients at the Medical College hospital
There is no vaccine and the treatment is limited to supportive care. Professor Juliet Pulliam, director at South African DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis (SACEMA) at Stellenbosch University, warned the virus is more easily spread from people with respiratory symptoms. She said: “Nipah virus can be transmitted from person to person, but this transmission is not very efficient. “When transmission does occur, it is usually to close contacts who have been exposed to the bodily fluids of a person who is sick.
Getty Animal Husbandry department and Forest officials inspect a well to to catch bats at Changaroth
"People with Nipah virus are more likely to transmit the virus if they have respiratory symptoms, such as difficulty breathing.” Nipah Virus is named after the village of Kampung Sungai Nipah, in Malaysia, after pig farmers first contracted the disease during an outbreak in 1998 and 1999. Almost 300 people ended up being infected and more than 100 died.
Getty Bats take rest on trees in Guwahati on May 23, 2018.