A RARE virus spread by fruit bats, which can cause flu-like symptoms and brain damage, has killed 10 people in southern India, health officials said yesterday, with at least two more cases being monitored. Infectious disease outbreaks can be a challenge in the world’s second-most populous country, where infection control and surveillance are weak, leading to hundreds of deaths annually from diseases such as mosquito-borne dengue. There is no vaccine for the Nipah virus that has broken out in Kerala state. It can cause encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, the World Health Organization says. The usual treatment is supportive care. The first death happened Friday in the district of Kozhikode, said K.K. Shailaja, health minister of the state, which is a magnet for tourists. “This is a new situation for us. We have no prior experience in dealing with the Nipah virus,” said Shailaja. “We are hopeful we can put a stop to the outbreak.” Of 18 people screened for the virus, 12 came back positive, she told a news conference, adding that 10 of them had died. Three of the victims, members of the same family, are suspected of having been infected by bats that crowded a well near their home, said a local government official, U. V. Jose. The deaths had sparked concern among residents, he added. The virus was first detected in Malaysia in 1998, and India’s eastern state of West Bengal has suffered two outbreaks in the last decade, killing 50 people, the WHO has said. (SD-Agencies) |