Ban on gatherings and closure of schools: After the death of two people infected with the Nipah virus, the Indian government declared lockdown in the Kerala region. The pathogen causes dangerous inflammation of the brain.

In the Indian state of Kerala, a ban on gatherings and closure of schools was imposed following an outbreak of the Nipah virus. Public life is largely at a standstill. According to local media, two people had already died from the infection. Authorities said three other people tested positive for the virus.

According to information, more than 700 people are under observation because they have been in contact with infected people. Among them are around 150 health workers.

Ex-Health Minister: May contain viruses

As during the Nipah virus epidemic in Kerala in 2018, the Kozhikode district is once again particularly affected. Neighboring states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are now requiring people in Kerala to be tested.

Politician and health expert KK Shailaja said the new outbreak was not as worrying as the previous one. “In 2018, it was a new virus for us and we had no experience in fighting such an infection. Today, we have everything needed to contain it effectively,” Shailaja pointed out. She was then the Health Minister of Kerala.

There is no vaccine

Nipah is a virus transmitted to humans by flying foxes, bats and pigs. The virus can also be transmitted through contaminated food or direct person-to-person contact.

According to the RKI, the virus was discovered in Malaysia and Singapore in 1999. At that time, more than 200 people fell ill. Later, epidemics broke out in Bangladesh and India. In the outbreaks observed, more than one in two people affected died.

The infection leads to flu-like symptoms, encephalitis and coma. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Nipah virus is a pathogen with the potential to cause a global epidemic. There is no vaccine or medicine; according to the WHO, the mortality rate is 40 to 75 percent.