Exposing Nipah virus: an epidemiological study of another thread in Kerala, South India

Kartikay Prakash; Reetu Yadav; Shashank Tiwari

doi:10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20240562

Authors

Kartikay Prakash Department of Pharmacy, Lucknow Model College of Pharmacy, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Reetu Yadav Department of Pharmacy, Seiko College of Pharmacy, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Shashank Tiwari Department of Pharmacy, Lucknow Model College of Pharmacy, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20240562

Keywords:

Nipah virus, NiV, Kerala, Fruit bats, Palm sap, Pig, Zoonotic virus, Threat, ICMR, WHO, Mortality, India, Bangladesh, Bats, Viral infections, Encephalitis, Endemic

Abstract

Bats spread the Nipah virus, which causes severe encephalitis and high mortality. Multiple reports have come from Malaysia, Bangladesh, Singapore, and India. Pteropus fruit bats are known to host the virus. The virus has caused four outbreaks in Kerala in the past quinquennium. Scholars believe the virus is indigenous to the state's bat population. Climate change, resource depletion, deforestation, natural terrain changes, farming, and industrialization all contribute to viral disease outbreaks. In this review, we will discuss the epidemiological background of the previous NiV outbreak. We will also examine the transmission method epidemic prevention and control strategies and possible causes of the outbreak. Four Nipah epidemics have occurred in Kerala in the past five years. Expert investigation suggests that the virus may be endemic in the state’s bat population. Kerala, India, has many bat species. In 2018, research found viral infections in the local fruit bat population. Traditionally, people eat fresh toddy or sap from trees, which can be polluted by bats carrying the Nipah virus. Kerala's healthcare system also closely monitors unexplained fevers for Nipah virus infections. The World Health Organisation and Indian Council of Medical Research found that the entire state is susceptible to Nipah virus infections. The virus is a major cause of encephalitis outbreaks, which have high mortality rates, mostly in Indo-Bangladesh.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Aditi SM, Shariff M, Shariff M. NiV infection: A review. Epidemiol Infect. 2019;147:1-6.

Luby SP. The pandemic potential of NiV. Antivir Res. 2013;100(1):38-43.

Chatterjee P. NiV outbreak in India. Lancet. 2018;391(10136):2200.

Chua KB. NiV outbreak in Malaysia. J Clin Virol. 2003;26(3):265-75.

Luby SP, Gurley ES. Epidemiology of Henipavirus disease in humans. Curr Topic Microbiol Immunol. 2012;359:25-40.

Chua KB, Goh KJ, Wong KT, Kamarulzaman A, Tan PS, Ksiazek TG, et al. Fatal encephalitis due to NiV among pig farmers in Malaysia. Lancet. 1999;354(9186):1257-9.

Kulkarni DD, Tosh C, Venkatesh G, Kumar SD. NiV infection: current scenario. Ind J Virol. 2013;24(3):398-408.

Siddique AB, Fardows J, Farhana N, Mazumder M. NiV: A public health concern. J Enam Med Coll. 2016;6(2):101-5.

Wikipedia. Fact sheet: Nipah virus outbreaks in Kerala. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nipah_virus_outbreaks_in_Kerala#Virology_and_epidemiology. Accessed on 19 September 2023.

WHO. Fact sheet: NiV infection. South East Asia region. Available at: http://www.searo.who.int/entity/emerging_diseases/links/CDS_Nipah. Accessed on 19 September 2023.

Thomas B, Chandran P, Lilabi MP, George B, Sivakumar CP, Jayadev VK, et al. NiV infection in Kozhikode, Kerala, South India, in 2018: Epidemiology of an outbreak of an emerging disease. Ind J Communi Med. 2019;44(4):383-7.

Skowron K, Bauza-Kaszewska J, Grudlewska-Buda K, Wiktorczyk-Kapischke N, Zacharski M, Bernaciak Z, et al. NiV-another threat from the world of zoonotic viruses. Front Microbiol. 2021;12:811157.

Ang BSP, Lim TCC, Wang L. NiV infection. J Clin Microbiol. 2018;56(6):1875-17.

Arunkumar G, Chandni R, Mourya DT, Singh SK, Sadanandan R, Sudan P, et al. outbreak investigation of NiV disease in Kerala, India, 2018. J Infect Dis. 2019;219(12):1867-78.

Pallivalappil B, Ali A, Thulaseedharan NK, Karadan U, Chellenton J, Dipu KP, et al. Dissecting an outbreak: A clinical-epidemiological study of NiV infection in Kerala, India, 2018. J Glob Infect Dis. 2020;12(1):21-7.

Sun B, Jia L, Liang B, Chen Q, Liu D. Phylogeography, transmission, and viral proteins of NiV. Virologica Sinica. 2018;33(5):385-93.

Thomas B, Chandran P, Lilabi MP, George B, Sivakumar CP, Jayadev VK, et al. NiV infection in Kozhikode, Kerala, South India, in 2018: Epidemiology of an outbreak of an emerging disease. Ind J Commun Med. 2019;44(4):38-7.

Yadav PD, Shete AM, Kumar GA, Sarkale P, Sahay RR, Radhakrishnan C, et al. NiV sequences from humans and bats during Nipah outbreak, Kerala, India, 2018. Emerg Infect Dis. 2019;25(5):1003-6.

Chattu VK, Kumar R, Kumary S, Kajal F, David JK. NiV epidemic in southern India and emphasizing “One Health” approach to ensure global health security. J Fam Med Prim Care. 2018;7(2):275-83.

Thulaseedaran NK, Kumar KGS, Kumar J, Geetha P, Jayachandran NV, Kamalasanan CG, et al. A case series on the recent Nipah epidemic in Kerala. J Assoc Phys India. 2018;66(10):63-7.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Fact sheet: Nipah virus disease. Available at: https://dhs.kerala.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/NIPAHPamphlet.pdf. Accessed on 19 September 2023.

The Economic Times. Fact sheet: India’s Kerala shuts schools and offices to curb deadly NiV, 2023. Available at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/kerala-shuts-schools-and-offices-to-curb-deadly-nipah-virus/articleshow/103636099.cms?from=mdr. Accessed on 19 September 2023.

NiV outbreak in Kerala. Manorama Online (in Malayalam), 2023. Available at: https://www.manoramaonline.com/districtnews/malappuram/2023/09/23/nipah-virus.html. Accessed on 19 September 2023.

Pillai V, Krishna G, Veettil M. NiV: Past outbreaks and future containment. Virus. 2020;12(4):465.

Aditi SM, Shariff M. NiV infection: A review. Epidemiol Infect. 2019;147:95.

Banerjee S, Gupta N, Kodan P, Mittal A, Ray Y, Nischal N, et al. NiV disease: a rare and intractable disease. Intract Rare Dis Res. 2019;8(1):1-8.

Singh RK, Dhama K, Chakraborty S, Tiwari R, Natesan S, Khandia R, et al. NiV: Epidemiology, pathology, immunobiology and advances in diagnosis, vaccine designing and control strategies A comprehensive review. Veterin Quarter. 2019;39(1):26-55.

National Centre for Disease Control. Fact sheet: Treatment of NiV. Available at: http://www.ncdc.gov.in/showfile.php/lid=241. Accessed on 19 September 2023.

Rahman SA, Hassan L, Epstein JH, Mamat ZC, Yatim AM, Hassan SS, et al. Risk factors for NiV infection among pteropid bats, Peninsular Malaysia. Emerg Infect Dis. 2013;19(1):51-60.

Ramphul K, Mejias SG, Agumadu VC, Sombans S, Sonaye R, Lohana P. The killer virus called Nipah: A review. Cureus. 2018;10(8):3168.