September 20, 2023

India to investigate Nipah virus outbreak in Kozhikode, Kerala

A four-member central team from India's Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) is set to conduct field investigations in Kozhikode district, Kerala state from following the discovery of a Nipah virus outbreak, The Hindu reported.

The team includes H R Khanna, Joint Commissioner (National Livestock Mission), Vijay Kumar Teotia, Joint Commissioner (Livestock Health), and experts from the ICAR-National Institute of High Security Diseases, Bhopal, and the Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Bengaluru.

Nipah is a zoonotic disease affecting both humans and animals.

The DAHD has instructed the team to submit daily reports and provide guidance to the Animal Husbandry department on disease prevention measures, following the 'One Health' approach.

Additionally, the Central team will collaborate with a team from India's State Institute for Animal Diseases (SIAD), Palode.

The SIAD team includes Sheela Saly T George, Chief Disease Investigation Officer, Nandakumar, Disease Investigation Officer, and veterinary surgeons. Experts from the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU) and the State Forest department may also join the SIAD team.

India's State Animal Husbandry department increased surveillance in the livestock sector due to the Nipah outbreak in Kozhikode district. They issued guidelines for farmers and the public. For swine, the disease impacts the respiratory and nervous systems, with chronic cough being a major symptom. Surveillance efforts have focused on identifying swine farms near the outbreak epicenter and monitoring them for symptoms.

-      The Hindu