The Tamil Nadu government has directed health officials to strengthen surveillance in districts bordering Kerala, after the Nipah-virus was detected in the neighbouring state.

In an advisory, the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine instructed the department officials to screen all symptomatic cases of Nipah, using protective equipment to prevent the spread of the infection to those administering the test.

The department has instructed the Deputy Director of Health Services to strengthen the surveillance on Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (fever with altered sensorium) in the bordering districts of Kerala. A boy in Kerala who had those symptoms passed away, and his sample tested positive for Nipah.

Those cases admitted from the bordering districts of Kerala, especially Kozhikode and Malappuram, should be followed up, the advisory said.

Government and private hospitals should be alerted about the Nipah virus outbreak and health teams should be deployed at border check-posts round-the-clock to screen all symptomatic cases especially in the Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Theni, Tenkasi and Kanniyakumari, the advisory said.

Stating that the Human Nipah virus (NiV) is an emerging zoonotic disease, the advisory said it was first recognised in Malaysia and Singapore in 1998. Again in 2001 and 2007 two outbreaks were reported in India.

In 2018, a major outbreak was reported in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts of Kerala with 18 confirmed cases and 17 persons dead.

The outbreaks occurred during the months of winter to spring (December-May) and transmission of the Nipah virus to humans may occur after direct contact with infected bats, infected pigs or from other Nipah virus infected people. Fruit bats are the usual reservoir of the virus, and humans can become infected by accidentally consuming bat-contaminated fruits, it added.

Fever, altered mental status and severe weakness were some of the symptoms, and in general, the case fatality rate is estimated at 40-75 per cent.

Currently there is no known treatment or vaccine available for either people or animals and intensive supportive care with treatment of symptoms is the main approach to managing the infection in people, the advisory said.

Earlier in the day, in a statement, the Union Health ministry said a 14-year-old boy from Kozhikode exhibited the acute encephalitis syndrome and was admitted to a healthcare facility in Perinthalmanna before being transferred to a higher health centre in the district.

He succumbed to the disease and samples were sent to the Pune-based National Institute of Virology, which confirmed Nipah virus infection.

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