KOZHIKODE: Forest department has joined hands with the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in a mission to identify the source of the deadly Nipah virus in the state. The move comes as Kerala is grappling with another Nipah outbreak in the Palakkad and Malappuram districts. The plan is to conduct extensive tests and collect samples from bats, which have long been suspected as the primary reservoir for the virus.
Forest Minister A K Saseendran has pledged the department’s support, ensuring NIV officials access to the forest areas. Forest personnel will actively assist in the meticulous collection of bat samples, a critical step in understanding the virus’s prevalence and transmission pathways. The chief wildlife warden has already issued directives to all circle chief conservators and DFOs across the department in this regard.
Despite recurrent Nipah outbreaks in Kerala since 2018, which have often resulted in high fatality rates, the precise point of spillover from bats to humans has frequently remained unclear. The confirmed Nipah cases in Palakkad and Malappuram, with samples dispatched to NIV Pune for validation, have amplified the need for this comprehensive investigation. Previous surveillance efforts have detected Nipah virus RNA and antibodies in Pteropus medius bats (fruit bats) in affected regions.
Experts from NIV highlight that bats are known reservoirs of numerous highly-infectious viruses, including Nipah, Ebola, and Marburg. The transmission of Nipah from bats to humans typically occurs through the ingestion of fresh date palm sap contaminated with Nipah virus (NiV), consumption of partially eaten fruits, or contact with infected domestic animals.