Primed to treat: On Kerala and Nipah

The Kerala story in containing (नियंत्रित करना, रोकना) Nipah has lessons (सबक, सीख) for pandemic preparedness (महामारी की तैयारी)

The emergence (उद्भव, प्रकट होना) of a case (मामला, रोग का मामला) of the Nipah virus (a zoonotic virus (meaning that it can spread from animals to humans) and can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly between people. Fruit bats, also called flying foxes are the natural host of Nipah virus. Nipah virus is also known to cause illness in pigs and people. Infection with NiV is associated with encephalitis (swelling of the brain) and can cause mild to severe illness and even death) in Kerala and the subsequent (बाद का, पश्चातवर्ती) control in the State is indicative (संकेतात्मक, सूचक) of two things: first, Kerala’s own mix (मिश्रण, मेल, संयोजन) of ecological (पारिस्थितिक, पर्यावरणीय) factors and anthropogenic (human-caused, human-influenced, human-induced, man-made) activity that makes it vulnerable (संवेदनशील, असुरक्षित) every monsoon (rainy season, heavy rain) season to the possibility (संभावना, संभाव्यता) of Nipah spreading, the hosts (an animal or plant on or in which a parasite or commensal organism lives; carrier) being fruit bats (a large flying mammal (with large wings) that eats fruit and lives in hot countries; flying fox). Second, the fact that (तथ्य यह है कि) there has been just a single case so far (अब तक, अभी तक) is testament (प्रमाण, साक्ष्य) to the robustness (मजबूती, सुदृढ़ता) of the health systems in place (established, set up, in operation) in Kerala. The World Health Organization (WHO) (an agency of the United Nations established in 1948, mandated to connect nations, partners, and people to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable so everyone can attain the highest level of health) has classified (categorize, group, grade, designate) Nipah a priority (prime concern, most important thing, first concern) pathogen (a bacteria, virus, or other microorganism that causes disease; disease-causing organism, infectious agent, microbe, germ), accounting for its lethality (the capacity to cause death/harm/damage; deadliness, fatality, destructiveness), potential (possibilities, potentiality, capability, capacity) to cause outbreaks (outburst, flaring up, breakout, epidemic, eruption, sudden appearance OR occurrence of something), even a pandemic (the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area). It is just one of several pathogens that WHO has flagged (indicate, identify, point out, mark) for Kerala — including avian influenza (commonly known as bird flu, a viral infection that can infect not only birds but also humans and other animals) and Kyasanur Forest Disease (a tick-borne viral haemorrhagic fever endemic to South Asia, primarily affecting monkeys and humans). Kerala has, at the moment (currently, right now, presently, at present), one active case (an infected person currently suffering from the disease who is capable of transmitting the infection to others) of 43-year-old man from Ramanattukara in Kozhikode. He remains on ventilator (a machine that provides mechanical ventilation by moving breathable air into and out of the lungs) support at the Kozhikode Government Hospital. No fresh cases (a newly reported instance or occurrence of a disease) have come up (arise, happen, occur, emerge) since then, after intensive contact tracing (a thorough and rigorous process of identifying and following up with persons who may have come into contact with an infected individual) and screening (examination, testing, evaluation, assessment). The 2018 Nipah outbreak, immortalised (honour, glorify, admire, memorialize) in film and art, which caused 17 deaths, and affected 23 people (18 lab confirmed), spread primarily (mainly, mostly, predominantly, chiefly) on person-to-person contact (physical interaction between individuals through which a disease can be transmitted), with the index patient (the first identified case in a group of related cases of a particular communicable disease; index case, patient zero) reportedly (supposedly, seemingly, apparently, allegedly) transmitting the virus to 15 others, including health-care workers. Since then it has had cases/outbreaks in 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025. Historically (in the past, traditionally) in India, a devastating (highly destructive, damaging, disastrous, ruinous) outbreak was noted in 2001 in West Bengal, and later, a few cases were detected again, in 2007. Earlier this year, on January 26, 2026, two laboratory-confirmed cases of Nipah virus infection were reported from West Bengal, both health-care workers (medical professional, healthcare provider, medical staff). This was also contained and no further cases were reported.

It is clear that (obviously, evidently, plainly) human activity on the fringes (border, edge, margin, boundary) of forest zones, encroaching into (intrude, trespass, impinge, advance beyond proper limits) traditional habitats (natural environment, natural home, surroundings, territory) of the fruit bats, has a central (important/key) role to play in the transmission (spread, transfer, passing on) of the virus; in time (eventually, ultimately, in the end, subsequently), this originally zoonotic (used to refer to a disease transmitted from vertebrate animals to humans) infection jumped to humans. Repeatedly (frequently, often, again and again, consistently), the source of infection (the person, animal, object, or substance from which an infectious agent passes to a host) has been traced (track down, discover, find, unearth) to consuming (eat, ingest, devour) contaminated fruits, or contact with water sources contaminated (polluted, infected, tainted) by bats. This also indicates that the overall approach should be from a One Health perspective (‘One Health’ is an approach to designing and implementing programmes, policies, legislation and research in which multiple sectors communicate and work together to achieve better public health outcomes), considering (taking into consideration, keeping in mind, given, in view of) environmental and animal interplays (interaction, cross-action, teamwork, interconnection) with humans, and not a mere (sheer, simple, nothing more than) health-care (medical service, medical treatment, healthcare system) angle. The State’s history of Nipah outbreaks and its learnings (lesson learned, knowledge gained, takeaway) have enabled (allow, permit, facilitate, empower) it to prime (prepare, get ready, make ready, equip) its health system to meet (deal with, handle, face, tackle) such health emergencies (a sudden and unforeseen public health crisis requiring immediate action), at the primary and secondary hospitals (a hospital offering specialized medical care and facilities, usually referred from a primary care provider) itself. This is the other lesson from Kerala for pandemic preparedness. Its system has become adept (expert, proficient, skilled, capable) at maintaining (keep up, preserve, sustain, continue) a high index of suspicion (awareness and concern for potentially serious underlying and unseen injuries or illnesses) for cases of acute encephalitis; (a severe and sudden inflammation or swelling of the brain) watching out for clusters, and with clinical efficiency (the ability of a healthcare system or professional to achieve desired medical outcomes with minimal waste of time, effort, or resources), deploying (use, utilize, employ, make use of) protocols (procedure, rule, code of conduct, guideline) to control further spread and reach (contact) all those who need medical assistance.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.contain (verb)

Hindi Meaning - नियंत्रित करना, रोकना
English Meaning - control, keep under control, restrict, limit.

2.lesson (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सबक, सीख
English Meaning - learning, takeaway, insight.

3.pandemic preparedness (noun)

Hindi Meaning - महामारी की तैयारी
English Meaning - a state of readiness for a pandemic; readiness, capability, alertness.

4.emergence (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उद्भव, प्रकट होना
English Meaning - appearance, arrival, coming into existence.

5.case (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मामला, रोग का मामला
English Meaning - a specific occurrence of a disease in an individual.

6.subsequent (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - बाद का, पश्चातवर्ती
English Meaning - following, ensuing, succeeding, coming after.

7.indicative (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - संकेतात्मक, सूचक
English Meaning - symptomatic, representative, suggestive, expressive.

8.mix (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मिश्रण, मेल, संयोजन
English Meaning - combination, blend, mixture, assortment.

9.ecological (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - पारिस्थितिक, पर्यावरणीय
English Meaning - relating to the branch of biology which studies the interactions among organisms and their environment; environmental, natural.

10.vulnerable (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - संवेदनशील, असुरक्षित
English Meaning - endangered, unsafe, unprotected, susceptible.

11.possibility (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संभावना, संभाव्यता
English Meaning - chance, likelihood, probability, prospect.

12.the fact that (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - तथ्य यह है कि
English Meaning - used to refer to a particular situation that exists.

13.so far (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - अब तक, अभी तक
English Meaning - until now, up to this point, to date.

14.testament (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रमाण, साक्ष्य
English Meaning - witness/evidence, proof, testimony, attestation.

15.robustness (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मजबूती, सुदृढ़ता
English Meaning - the quality or condition of being strong and in good condition; strength, sturdiness, toughness, resilience.

16.anthropogenic (adjective)

English Meaning - human-caused, human-influenced, human-induced, man-made.

17.prime (verb)

English Meaning - prepare, get ready, make ready, equip.

18.The Kerala story (noun)

English Meaning - the specific sequence of events or the experience of Kerala state.

19.Nipah virus (NiV) (noun)

English Meaning - a zoonotic virus (meaning that it can spread from animals to humans) and can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly between people. Fruit bats, also called flying foxes are the natural host of Nipah virus. Nipah virus is also known to cause illness in pigs and people. Infection with NiV is associated with encephalitis (swelling of the brain) and can cause mild to severe illness and even death.

20.monsoon (noun)

English Meaning - rainy season, heavy rain.

21.host (noun)

English Meaning - an animal or plant on or in which a parasite or commensal organism lives; carrier.

22.fruit bat (noun)

English Meaning - a large flying mammal (with large wings) that eats fruit and lives in hot countries; flying fox.

23.in place (phrase)

English Meaning - established, set up, in operation.

24.World Health Organization (WHO) (organization)

English Meaning - an agency of the United Nations established in 1948, mandated to connect nations, partners, and people to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable so everyone can attain the highest level of health.

25.classify (verb)

English Meaning - categorize, group, grade, designate.

26.priority (noun)

English Meaning - prime concern, most important thing, first concern.

27.pathogen (noun)

English Meaning - a bacteria, virus, or other microorganism that causes disease; disease-causing organism, infectious agent, microbe, germ.

28.account for (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - be the reason for, explain, justify, be responsible for.

29.account for (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - constitute, make up, comprise, form.

30.lethality (noun)

English Meaning - the capacity to cause death/harm/damage; deadliness, fatality, destructiveness.

31.potential (noun)

English Meaning - possibilities, potentiality, capability, capacity.

32.outbreak (noun)

English Meaning - outburst, flaring up, breakout, epidemic, eruption, sudden appearance OR occurrence of something.

33.pandemic (noun)

English Meaning - the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area.

34.flag (verb)

English Meaning - indicate, identify, point out, mark.

35.avian influenza (noun)

English Meaning - commonly known as bird flu, a viral infection that can infect not only birds but also humans and other animals.

36.avian (noun/adjective)

English Meaning - bird/relating to birds.

37.Kyasanur Forest Disease (noun)

English Meaning - a tick-borne viral haemorrhagic fever endemic to South Asia, primarily affecting monkeys and humans.

38.at the moment (phrase)

English Meaning - currently, right now, presently, at present.

39.active case (noun)

English Meaning - an infected person currently suffering from the disease who is capable of transmitting the infection to others.

40.ventilator (noun)

English Meaning - a machine that provides mechanical ventilation by moving breathable air into and out of the lungs.

41.fresh case (noun)

English Meaning - a newly reported instance or occurrence of a disease.

42.come up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - arise, happen, occur, emerge.

43.since then (phrase)

English Meaning - from that time onwards, from that point forward.

44.intensive contact tracing (noun)

English Meaning - a thorough and rigorous process of identifying and following up with persons who may have come into contact with an infected individual.

45.screening (noun)

English Meaning - examination, testing, evaluation, assessment.

46.immortalise (verb)

English Meaning - honour, glorify, admire, memorialize.

47.primarily (adverb)

English Meaning - mainly, mostly, predominantly, chiefly.

48.person-to-person contact (noun)

English Meaning - physical interaction between individuals through which a disease can be transmitted.

49.index patient (noun)

English Meaning - the first identified case in a group of related cases of a particular communicable disease; index case, patient zero.

50.reportedly (adverb)

English Meaning - supposedly, seemingly, apparently, allegedly.

51.health-care worker (noun)

English Meaning - medical professional, healthcare provider, medical staff.

52.historically (adverb)

English Meaning - in the past, traditionally.

53.devastating (adjective)

English Meaning - highly destructive, damaging, disastrous, ruinous.

54.it is clear that (phrase)

English Meaning - obviously, evidently, plainly.

55.fringe (noun)

English Meaning - border, edge, margin, boundary.

56.encroach into (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - intrude, trespass, impinge, advance beyond proper limits.

57.traditional (adjective)

English Meaning - usual, customary, established, typical.

58.habitat (noun)

English Meaning - natural environment, natural home, surroundings, territory.

59.central (adjective)

English Meaning - important/key.

60.play a role (phrase)

English Meaning - to have an effect or influence on something; contribute to, be a factor in, have a part in, influence.

61.transmission (noun)

English Meaning - spread, transfer, passing on.

62.in time (phrase)

English Meaning - eventually, ultimately, in the end, subsequently.

63.zoonotic (adjective)

English Meaning - used to refer to a disease transmitted from vertebrate animals to humans.

64.repeatedly (adverb)

English Meaning - frequently, often, again and again, consistently.

65.source of infection (noun)

English Meaning - the person, animal, object, or substance from which an infectious agent passes to a host.

66.trace (verb)

English Meaning - track down, discover, find, unearth.

67.consume (verb)

English Meaning - eat, ingest, devour.

68.contaminated (adjective)

English Meaning - polluted, infected, tainted.

69.One Health perspective (noun)

English Meaning - ‘One Health’ is an approach to designing and implementing programmes, policies, legislation and research in which multiple sectors communicate and work together to achieve better public health outcomes.

70.considering (preposition)

English Meaning - taking into consideration, keeping in mind, given, in view of.

71.interplay (noun)

English Meaning - interaction, cross-action, teamwork, interconnection.

72.mere (adjective)

English Meaning - sheer, simple, nothing more than.

73.health-care (noun)

English Meaning - medical service, medical treatment, healthcare system.

74.learning (noun)

English Meaning - lesson learned, knowledge gained, takeaway.

75.enable (verb)

English Meaning - allow, permit, facilitate, empower.

76.meet (verb)

English Meaning - deal with, handle, face, tackle.

77.health emergency (noun)

English Meaning - a sudden and unforeseen public health crisis requiring immediate action.

78.primary hospital (noun)

English Meaning - a basic health care facility or clinic providing initial consultation and care.

79.secondary hospital (noun)

English Meaning - a hospital offering specialized medical care and facilities, usually referred from a primary care provider.

80.tertiary hospital (noun)

English Meaning - a major hospital that provides highly specialized medical care, typically involving advanced and complex procedures, surgeries, and treatments; specialized hospital, advanced medical centre, major hospital.

81.adept (adjective)

English Meaning - expert, proficient, skilled, capable.

82.maintain (verb)

English Meaning - keep up, preserve, sustain, continue.

83.index of suspicion (noun)

English Meaning - awareness and concern for potentially serious underlying and unseen injuries or illnesses.

84.acute encephalitis (noun)

English Meaning - a severe and sudden inflammation or swelling of the brain.

85.watch out for (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - look out for, keep an eye out for, be alert to, monitor for.

86.clinical efficiency (noun)

English Meaning - the ability of a healthcare system or professional to achieve desired medical outcomes with minimal waste of time, effort, or resources.

87.deploy (verb)

English Meaning - use, utilize, employ, make use of.

88.protocol (noun)

English Meaning - procedure, rule, code of conduct, guideline.

89.reach (verb)

English Meaning - contact.