A 14-year-old boy from Malappuram, Kerala, succumbed to the Nipah virus on Sunday at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode. The tragic death follows a recent confirmation of the virus by the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune.
The boy, who had been experiencing fever for ten days, was initially admitted to a private hospital in Kozhikode and later placed on ventilator support. Upon confirmation of the Nipah virus on Saturday, he was transferred to the Medical College Hospital. Despite efforts, including administering monoclonal antibodies sourced from NIV-Pune, the boy suffered a cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead.
Kerala’s Health Minister Veena George reported that the boy had cardiac arrest at 10:50 AM and was declared dead at 11:30 AM. The Minister also noted that four individuals who had been in contact with the boy were showing symptoms of Nipah, with one being in critical condition and on life support. A mobile lab from NIV-Pune will be deployed to Malappuram for testing high-risk samples.
To date, tests have shown that seven people, including six of the boy’s friends, do not have the virus. However, 330 individuals, including 68 health workers, are currently under observation, with 101 categorized as high-risk.
In response to the outbreak, the Health Department has established a control room in Malappuram and issued an alert. A lockdown has been implemented in specific areas, including Pandikkad and Anakkayam panchayats, and a route map of the boy’s recent locations has been published to aid self-reporting. A door-to-door survey is planned in these areas.
The Central Government has dispatched a “One Health” outbreak response team to assist with the investigation, emphasizing the need for an active search for additional cases and strict quarantine measures. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has provided monoclonal antibodies, though their use was limited due to the boy’s critical condition.
Nipah virus, primarily affecting animals such as bats and pigs, can infect humans through contact with these animals and causes severe illness. Kerala has faced several Nipah outbreaks since 2018, with the death of this 14-year-old increasing the total fatalities to 21 in the state.
The Health Department is still investigating how the boy contracted the virus and has not confirmed if he is the index case for this year’s outbreak. Previous studies indicated that the 2018 Nipah outbreak in Kerala was linked to bat infections and hospital transmissions, with the virus strain identified as a highly lethal Bangladeshi variant.