Latest news with #NipahVirusDisease
India Gazette
05-07-2025
- Health
- India Gazette
Nipah virus outbreak: NCDC team in close contact with Kerala unit, actively monitoring situation
By Shalini Bhardwaj Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], July 5 (ANI): The Central Surveillance Unit of Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is in close contact with the State unit Kerala and is actively monitoring the situation after two cases of Nipah Virus Disease were detected by Kerala IDSP. According to official sources, the deployment of a National Joint Outbreak Response Team (NJORT) is being considered. 'The Central Surveillance Unit of IDSP, NCDC, is in close contact with the State unit and is actively monitoring the situation. The deployment of a National Joint Outbreak Response Team (NJORT) is being considered. The State Control Room has been activated for coordinating the various containment activities,' sources told ANI. As per official sources, one positive case is of Bishara Nehrin, an 18-year-old female resident of Mallapuram District. The place of residence is rural, with a nearby forested area and fruit orchards reportedly frequented by Fruit bats. The patient succumbed to the illness on July 1 2025. 'The post-mortem samples (Serum, CSF, NPS & lung tissue) were sent to Regional VRDL in GMC, Kozhikode on 2nd July and were reported positive by RT-PCR,' they added. Informing about the other case, sources stated that Hasanath, a 38-year-old female and resident of Pallakad district .'The patient is presently admitted to a private hospital in Mallapuram and is on ventilatory support. The samples sent to NIV Pune on 4th July 2025 were confirmed to be positive for NiVD Public Health Response.' The official sources further said that more than 300 contacts have been identified thus far in 3 districts: Pallakad, Mallapuram and Kozhikode. (ANI)
India Gazette
04-07-2025
- Health
- India Gazette
Nipah virus alert issued in three Kerala districts after two suspected cases
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], July 4 (ANI): Health authorities in Kerala have issued an alert in three districts -- Kozhikode, Malappuram and Palakkad after two suspected cases of the Nipah virus were detected. Kerala Health Minister Veena George said that the suspected cases of Nipah virus are from Palakkad and Malappuram districts. 'An alert has been issued in three districts of Kerala, namely Kozhikode, Malappuram and Palakkad, in connection with two new Nipah virus cases,' she said. The tests conducted at medical college hospitals in Malappuram and Kozhikode have confirmed the infections. Samples have also been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for further confirmation. Even as a final confirmation is awaited, the government has directed officials to strengthen preventive measures to contain the spread of the virus. The Health Minister said that 26 committees have been formed across districts to coordinate the response. Police support will be sought to prepare a contact list, and state and district-level helplines will be activated. District Collectors have been directed to make arrangements for declaring containment zones if required. The National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, is the only lab in the country that cultures the Nipah virus. The virus, which is zoonotic in nature (transmitted from animals to humans), can also spread through contaminated food or directly between people. The symptoms of the Nipah virus are fever, headaches, muscle pain, vomiting, sore throat, dizziness, altered consciousness, and Atypical pneumonia. In infected people, it causes a range of illnesses from asymptomatic (subclinical) infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis. Nipah Virus Disease (NiVD) has a mortality rate of 50 per cent, making it one of the most dangerous viral diseases. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) developed RAMBAAN, a Mobile BSL-3 [MBSL-3] laboratory, an innovative initiative for providing the diagnostic surge capacity for enhancing the onsite laboratory services during the outbreaks of known and unknown high-risk pathogens. RAMBAAN, a Made-in-India rapid action mobile lab, was also deployed in response to the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala in 2023 and 2024. 'The MBSL-3 was successfully deployed and operationalised for the first time in response to the Nipah virus (NiV) outbreak in Kozhikode, Kerala, India, in September 2023 and again in Malappuram District of Kerala state in July 2024,' said ICMR. This 'laboratory on wheels' represents a significant advancement in outbreak investigation and public health emergency response in India. The ICMR is also working on an indigenous vaccine for the Nipah virus. (ANI)
Time of India
24-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Indigenous rapid detection kit ready to detect Nipah virus with 100% accuracy: Director, ICMR-NIV
Pune: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has developed a portable test kit for detecting Nipah virus cases with 100 per cent accuracy, which can provide results within 1- 2 hours. According to Dr Naveen Kumar, Director, ICMR-NIV, Pune, "Based on amplification of viral gene without the need for a specialised machine at the field level. It's 100 per cent sensitive and specific." This test can provide results in "1-2 hours". The Nipah virus is a Zoonotic virus that primarily spreads through fruit bats, and the virus has a 50% mortality rate, making it one of the most dangerous viral diseases. The cost of the test is 250 rupees, and the name of this kit is Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for rapid detection of Nipah virus. Meanwhile, Monoclonal antibody development is underway in collaboration with Zydus Health Sciences, Ahmedabad and Translational Health Sciences Technology Institute, Faridabad. The ICMR is also working on an indigenous vaccine for the Nipah virus. The National Institute of Virology (NIV) is the only lab in the country that cultures the Nipah virus. Nipah virus (NiV) is a zoonotic virus (it is transmitted from animals to humans) and can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly between people. In infected people, it causes a range of illnesses from asymptomatic (subclinical) infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis. The symptoms of the Nipah virus are fever, headaches, muscle pain, vomiting, sore throat, dizziness, altered consciousness, and Atypical pneumonia. Outbreaks of Nipah Virus Disease (NiVD) have been reported in Kerala, with the most recent one occurring in 2023 in the Kozhikode district.
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Business Standard
24-06-2025
- Health
- Business Standard
ICMR develops portable Nipah rapid detection kit with 100% accuracy
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has developed a portable test kit for detecting Nipah virus cases with 100 per cent accuracy, which can provide results within 1- 2 hours. According to Dr Naveen Kumar, Director, ICMR-NIV, Pune, "Based on amplification of viral gene without the need for a specialised machine at the field level. It's 100 per cent sensitive and specific." This test can provide results in "1-2 hours". The Nipah virus is a Zoonotic virus that primarily spreads through fruit bats, and the virus has a 50 per cent mortality rate, making it one of the most dangerous viral diseases. The cost of the test is 250 rupees, and the name of this kit is Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for rapid detection of Nipah virus. Meanwhile, Monoclonal antibody development is underway in collaboration with Zydus Health Sciences, Ahmedabad and Translational Health Sciences Technology Institute, Faridabad. The ICMR is also working on an indigenous vaccine for the Nipah virus. The National Institute of Virology (NIV) is the only lab in the country that cultures the Nipah virus. Nipah virus (NiV) is a zoonotic virus (it is transmitted from animals to humans) and can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly between people. In infected people, it causes a range of illnesses from asymptomatic (subclinical) infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis. The symptoms of the Nipah virus are fever, headaches, muscle pain, vomiting, sore throat, dizziness, altered consciousness, and Atypical pneumonia. Outbreaks of Nipah Virus Disease (NiVD) have been reported in Kerala, with the most recent one occurring in 2023 in the Kozhikode district.
