Nipah return: Officials asked to stay vigilant

MUMBAI: In the wake of Nipah virus resurfacing in Kerala, the state has asked corporations and health officials to heighten surveillance of cases of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES), especially those with a travel history to Kerala. A 23-year-old student from Kerala tested positive for the virus on Tuesday.
"There are a number of causes of AES. In Maharashtra, Japanese encephalitis (JE) is one the leading causes. In a suspected case, we would perhaps check for JE or Chandipura encephalitis before thinking of Nipah," said Dr Pradeep Awate, state epidemiologist.
Awate added that even when Nipah had claimed 17 lives in Kerala in 2018, the outbreak was restricted to two districts, Kozhikode and Malappuram. "We don't face any direct danger as the situation is under control and over 300 contacts have been traced and are under observation," he said.
A BMC official said that the state's directions have been communicated to hospitals.