Outbreaks of Nipah Virus (NiV) Infection in Kerala – Lessons Learnt

Abstract

Kerala witnessed 3 outbreaks of Nipah Virus (NiV) infection in a span of 4 years. An infection unknown to this territory was first detected in 2018 and 21 patients succumbed to the infection. Even though Govt. of Kerala with the help of central agencies could effectively contain the spread of infection, it created panic among the inhabitants of the district. The health authorities rose to the occasion with source detection, source reduction, contact tracing, isolation and effective precautionary measures which were appreciated by international agencies. The lessons learnt from the first NiV outbreak helped the people to restrict the damages in the second and third outbreaks. It is believed that these lessons also helped initially to tackle SARS CoV-2 infection in the state. This review focuses on the health challenges faced by Kerala during the Nipah Virus Disease.