Indian officials working to contain 'brain-swelling' virus after child dies

Health authorities in India are working to identify and isolate at least 60 people at high risk of Nipah virus, after a 14-year-old was killed by the disease on Sunday.

Nipah, which comes from fruit bats and animals, can cause a lethal, brain-swelling fever in humans.

The World Health Organisation classified it as a priority pathogen because of its potential to trigger an epidemic.

There is no vaccine to prevent Nipah being contracted, and no treatment to cure the disease.

Kerala’s state health minister told local media the boy died on Sunday following a heart attack.

The government has issued orders to set up 25 committees to track down the boy’s potential contacts and try to contain the disease, she added.

Dr. Anoop Kumar, director of critical care medicine at Aster MIMS Hospital in Calicut, said those who had been in contact with the boy were being monitored, including his family members.

“There is a minimum chance of an outbreak of Nipah virus at this stage,” he said, adding that the situation would be monitored for the next seven to 10 days.

There are 214 people on the primary contact list of the boy with 60 in the high-risk category. Isolation wards have been set up at health institutions to treat patients.

Nipah has been linked to the deaths of dozens of people in Kerala since its first appearance in the state in 2018.

The virus was first identified 25 years ago in Malaysia and has led to outbreaks in Bangladesh, India and Singapore.