Latest news with #Malappuram
Telegraph
09-07-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Two new Nipah cases spook India
Kerala is on edge after a teenager died from Nipah virus, a zoonotic disease that inspired the Hollywood blockbuster 'Contagion' and has a fatality rate as high as 75 per cent. The outbreak has sparked widespread concern with local media reporting that dozens of potential contacts are in hospital awaiting test results and hundreds are being monitored. The 18-year-old girl, who died last week, is one of two people known to have contracted the virus in the southern Indian state this month. The second, a 38-year-old woman, is in a critical condition in hospital. The cases have raised alarm bells as the World Health Organization (WHO) considers the virus a priority pathogen with 'serious potential' to drive mass outbreaks. Earlier this year, the UK Health Security Agency also included Nipah in its list of 24 diseases considered a major threat to public health. The virus is spread by bats but can spread between people through close contact. However, according to Kerala's health minister, Veena George, there is not yet evidence of human-to-human transmission in the current outbreak. Ms George said that of those contacts being tested, 46 people have so far been confirmed negative. She did not share how many were still waiting for test results but local media have put the number of potential contacts at 485 – though not all are being tested. This includes 192 people in Malappuram district, 114 in Kozhikode, 176 in Palakkad, two in Ernakulam, and one in Kannur. Ms George said that investigation had not found a link between the two known cases and that the women lived roughly 50 miles apart, in neighbouring districts. 'No human to human transmission has been confirmed,' Ms George told The Telegraph on Wednesday. 'It could definitely be two separate spillover events.' Nipah is carried by bats, and researchers have repeatedly found the virus in Kerala's large bat population. The state is home to more than 40 species of bats, but rapid development and urbanisation is pushing the flying mammals into ever closer contact with humans, escalating the spillover risk. The virus first infected people in the state in 2018, in a devastating outbreak where 21 of the 23 people infected died. A string of sporadic cases have since been detected, most recently in 2024. 'There could be multiple reasons for regular spillover reports from Kerala. But first and foremost, I think, is the strength of our surveillance system,' said Ms George. 'It should be noted that the presence of the virus has been demonstrated in many parts of the country, but Kerala can identify the human cases.' The latest 18-year-old victim lived in a house 'near to a very big bat colony', which may explain how she contracted the disease, said Ms George. 'We interviewed the family members extensively, and we are conducting studies to identify the presence of viral RNA and antibodies in bats from the roost,' Ms George said. The state is also racing to identify more potential cases to cut the threat of another major outbreak. So far 485 people have been identified as potential contacts, with the police helping health officials by sharing CCTV and mobile phone data to identify and then track down individuals. Those categorised as 'high risk' have been told to quarantine at home for 21 days, while some schools have also closed and switched to online lessons. Ms George said that although there are so far no signs that the virus – which spreads through contact with the bodily fluids of infected animals or people – is circulating undetected, she remains on edge. 'We haven't crossed the maximum incubation period yet [up to 45 days]. We will be somewhat relieved if no new infections are detected by the middle of July,' she told the Telegraph. 'At the moment, all samples of the contacts tested are negative. But it's a matter of time until all of the contacts cross the maximum incubation period without infection.' According to the WHO, it usually takes between four and 14 days to show any signs of a Nipah infection after coming into contact with the disease. But in rare instances, this incubation period can stretch to as long as 45 days. Symptoms can vary, but often cases start with a fever, headache or myalgia before developing into dizziness or confusion – which signals encephalitis, or brain inflammation. In severe cases, people can become comatose within 24 hours, and the case fatality rate ranges from 40 per cent to 75 per cent. But the virus can also have lifelong impacts for those who survive – roughly 20 per cent of this cohort are left with long-term neurological conditions, including personality changes or seizure disorders. Still, despite being deemed by the WHO as a priority pathogen with 'serious potential' to drive mass outbreaks, there are still no vaccines or drugs to specifically target the virus. Researchers are racing to change this – including a team at the University of Oxford, who are developing a vaccine using similar technology to their Covid-19 jab. It is currently in phase 1 clinical trials. Moderna in the US and Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Limited in India are among other groups working on a Nipah virus shot. Most have some funding from the Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, which has committed over $100 million for Nipah research.
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Teenager dies from 'brain-swelling' bat virus in India as officials confirm second case - fuelling fears of 'next pandemic'
A teenage girl has died from a 'brain-swelling' virus which experts fear could spark the 'next pandemic' The 18-year-old, from Malappuram a city in the Kerala region of India, tested positive for Nipah virus, which kills more than two thirds of people infected. The virus, which is carried by fruit bats and passed on to humans through their droppings and saliva, is of the same viral family as measles, making it highly contagious. On July 2, the unnamed woman suffered from acute encephalitis syndrome (AES), which is inflammation of the brain, and is often accompanied with an onset of fever and neurological symptoms. Officials have also confirmed there has been a second case of a 38-year-old woman from Palakkad who is in critical condition. The woman is undergoing treatment at the private hospital Perinthalmanna in the city, reported The Hindu. There are 425 people across three districts who have been identified as contacts of the two women, who may have come into contact with them at a social event. Of these people, 12 in Malappuram are receiving treatment, including five in intensive care. Authorities are still awaiting full test results to establish how many people may be infected. It is important to note that one of the patients receiving treatment has tested negative for the disease. There was previously an outbreak of the virus, which inspired the Hollywood pandemic thriller 'Contagion', in the Kerala region in 2023. Last month, researchers found two new viruses which are closely related to Nipah and the deadly Hendra virus. The infections, which can trigger severe brain inflammation and respiratory disease have been discovered in bats in China. Experts have raised urgent concerns about the potential of these viruses to jump to local people. These were found in fruit bats (Rousettus leschenaultia) living near orchards close to human villages in Yunnan. Since henipaviruses can spread through urine, the study raises concerns about contaminated fruit and the risk of these viruses jumping to humans. The team published their findings in the journal Plos Pathogens. They wrote: 'By analysing the infectome of bat kidneys collected near village orchards and caves in Yunnan, we uncovered not only the diverse microbes bats carry, but also the first full-length genomes of novel bat-borne henipaviruses closely related to Hendra and Nipah viruses identified in China.' They said their findings raise 'urgent concerns about the potential for these viruses to spill over into humans or livestock.' Bats are natural reservoirs for a wide range of microorganisms, including some that have previously been transmitted to humans. One theory is that the coronavirus could have originated in bats and then spilled over into people, triggering the global Covid pandemic. However, others argue it came from a 'lab leak' or from other animals being sold at a wet market.
The Sun
08-07-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Teenage girl dies from ‘brain-swelling' Nipah virus considered the ‘next pandemic' – as officials detect a second case
A TEENAGE girl has died from a brain-swelling bat virus which experts fear could be the 'next pandemic'. The 18-year-old tested positive for Nipah virus, an extremely lethal isease and kills more two thirds of those infected. 3 3 It belongs to the same family as measles and, like measles, spreads easily between people and is highly contagious. Health officials are now racing to trace hundreds of potential contacts, some of which are already in intensive care. The young girl died in hospital in Kerala, South India on July 1, according an editorial in The Hindu. Since then, a 38-year-old woman from Palakkad village, about 80 km (2.5 hours by car) from Malappuram, where the teenager fell ill, has also tested positive. A total of 425 people across three districts have been identified as contacts of the two women, who could have come in contact at a social event. Among them, 12 are receiving treatment, including five in intensive care, while results for many are still awaited. The World Health Organization (WHO) lists Nipah as a virus with pandemic potential. list of 24 diseases considered the greatest future threats to public health. Niaph, which inspired the blockbuster film Contagion starring Gwyneth Paltrow, is a zoonotic virus. This means it can be transmitted from animals to humans. Much like the virus in the film, which centered around a global pandemic, it attacks the brain, can spread from human-to-human and has a fatality rate as high as 75 per cent. Of those who survive it, around 20 per cent are left with long-term neurological conditions, including personality changes or seizure disorders. For comparison, estimates from John Hopkins University dashboard suggest the fatality rate of Covid is just over one per cent. There's currently no approved vaccine to prevent Nipah virus infections and no treatment to cure it. However, Oxford scientists have developed the first Nipah vaccine to enter human trials, with early tests now underway. Kerala has experienced multiple outbreaks of the virus since it was first detected there in 2018, resulting in dozens of deaths across the state. Other outbreaks have been reported in Bangladesh, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore. 3 An investigation published by Reuters last year, found that Kerala - which is a tropical state and is witnessing rapid urbanisation and tree loss - had "ideal conditions for a virus like Nipah to emerge". India's worst outbreak of the virus occurred in 2001 in the northwestern state of West Bengal when 45 out of 66 people confirmed to have had Nipah died. Is Nipah virus threat to the UK? By Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia Nipah virus is a nasty disease. Although everything is possible in the world of infectious diseases. The threat of a global Nipah virus pandemic is not high on the list of the things that keep we awake at night. Firstly, the primary host species are Pteropodidae bats, fruit bats or a flying fox. Humans usually catch the infection from an infected animal, either the fruit bats themselves or from intermediate animals such as pigs, Contaminated food can also be a cause. The pigs catch the infection from the fruit bats. Pteropodidae bats are not found in Europe -see figure below. Secondly, person to person transmission does occur but it is not very efficient. The R-value is below 1.0, around 0.33, so you would not get sustained person-to-person transmission unless there was some pretty impressive evolution, not impossible but very unlikely. I guess there could be a risk of introduction into the UK from contaminated food, probably meat illegally brought into the country. However, any subsequent illnesses would not spread far. Of course with climate change the distribution of species may change over the next century and who knows what the risk may be in 50 or 100 years from now. Experts say that animals are living in closer proximity to humans due to habitat loss, which helps the virus jump from animals to humans and poses a risk for outbreaks. Nipah is typically transmitted to humans from animals such as bats and pigs, through direct contact with bodily fluids like blood or saliva. Humans can also pick the disease up by eating foods contaminated with urine or saliva from infected animals. They can also pick it up through close contact with people who already have it - but these forms of transmission are much rarer. People infected with the Nipah virus my not display any symptoms at all. But many go on to develop acute respiratory infections, seizures and fatal brain swelling, called encephalitis. Encephalitis and seizures only occur in severe cases and can progress to coma within 24 to 48 hours. It typically takes between four days and two weeks for people to develop symptoms after being infected. However, in some cases it has taken up to 45, WHO noted. Extremely likely to see outbreaks Scientists previously told The Sun that Nipah could 'absolutely be the cause of a new pandemic'. Dr Rebecca Dutch, chair of the University of Kentucky, and a world a leader in the study of viruses, said that although there are no current Nipah outbreaks in the world, they occur periodically and it is 'extremely likely' we will see more. She told us: 'Nipah is one of the viruses that could absolutely be the cause of a new pandemic. Several things about Nipah are very concerning. 'Many other viruses in that family (like measles) transmit well between people, so there is concern that a Nipah variant with increased transmission could arise. 'The mortality rate for this virus is between 45 per cent and 75 per cent depending on the outbreak – so this is much higher than Covid-19. "Nipah has been shown to be transmitted through food, as well as via contact with human or animal excretions. 'The incubation period for Nipah can be quite long, and it can be unclear if transmission can occur during this time.' Dr Jonathan Epstein, vice president for science and outreach at the EcoHealth Alliance, explained how they are tracking the Nipah virus and are worried about its potential. He told The Sun: 'We know very little about the genetic variety of Nipah-related viruses in bats, and what we don't want to happen is for a strain to emerge that is more transmissible among people." THE 24 'PRIORITY PATHOGENS' THE UK Health Security Agency has issued a list of the 24 viruses and bacteria that its experts believe pose the biggest threat to people in the UK. Each one is a scientific family, meaning it is an umbrella term that includes and number of more specific - and usually better known - infections. VIRUSES Adenoviruses (mostly cause the common cold) Arenaviruses (e.g. Lassa fever) Calciviruses (e.g. norovirus) Coronaviruses (e.g. Covid-19) Filoviruses (e.g. Ebola, Marburg, Sudan virus) Flaviviruses (e.g. dengue, zika, hepatitis C) Hantaviruses (can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome) Nairoviruses (e.g. Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic fever) Orthomyxoviruses (e.g. flu) Paramyxoviruses (e.g. Nipah virus) Peribunyaviruses (e.g. oropouche fever) Phenuviruses (e.g. Rift Valley fever) Picornaviruses (e.g. polio) Pneumoviruses (e.g. human metapneumovirus/hMPV) Poxviruses (e.g. mpox) Togaviruses (e.g. Chikungunya) BACTERIA Bacillaceae (e.g. anthrax) Coxiellaceae (e.g. Q fever) Enterobacteria (e.g. plague) Francisellacae (e.g. tularaemia) Moraxellaceae (can cause pneumonia and UTIs) Neisseriaceae (e.g. gonorrhoea) Staphylococcaceae (cause cellulitis, pneumonia) Streptococcaceae (cause meningitis, scarlet fever, septicaemia)
