Nipah virus in Kerala is Bangladesh variant: Cause, symptoms and treatment | Full details

Kerala is aiming for "proactive detection" of infection before cases are confirmed in labs. The state is monitoring clinical symptoms so that alerts can be sounded in advance.

With two deaths and a swelling case count (5 so far) due to the deady Nipah virus, health authorities in the state and Centre have sounded alarm bells.  Kerala health minister Veena George says the virus strain in the state is the Bangladesh variant that spreads from human to human and has a high mortality rate, though less infectious.

Fever, headache, drowsiness, disorientation, mental confusion, coma, and potentially death. Symptoms generally appear 5-14 days after exposure to the virus.  The virus gives off no obvious symptoms initially, infecting people and staying dormant till it finally leads to fatal complications

The virus can be detected through real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from body fluids and antibody detection via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)

Encephalitis, inflammation of the brain, is a fatal complication of the Nipah virus infection. The Bangladesh variant found in Kerala has a high mortality rate.

Close contact with infected people or their body fluids. Transmission through the air is not possible. It can only be transmitted through direct contact with infected animal, bats or people

Secretions or body fluids from infected may contaminate water and render it harmful.

No, there are no vaccines or drugs approved for human use according to WHO. Studies in small-animal models of NiV infection suggest that antibody therapy may be a good option

The virus that is present in the bats get virulent when the mammals are stressed out , mostly due to human-induced factors. WHO says emergence of bat-related viral infections communicable to humans and animals has been attributed to the loss of natural habitats of bats.

When stressed and hungry, their immune system gets weaker, their virus load goes up and a lot of virus spills out in their urine and saliva.