Gorakhpur's Dr Kafeel Khan offers to help out patients suffering from fatal Nipah virus, Kerala CM accepts

A rare virus spread by fruit bats, which can cause flu-like symptoms and brain damage, has killed 10 people in southern India, health officials said on Tuesday, with at least two more cases being monitored.

Infectious disease outbreaks can be a challenge in the world's second most populous country, where infection control and surveillance are weak, leading to hundreds of deaths annually from diseases such as mosquito-borne dengue. There is no vaccine for the Nipah virus that has broken out in Kerala state. It can cause encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, the World Health Organization says. The usual treatment is supportive care.

Reacting to the news, Dr Kafeel Khan, who was in the thick of things during the Gorakhpur Oxygen supply tragedy offered to help in Kerala.

He wrote on his Facebook account: “After sehri n fajr namaz was trying to sleep but couldn’t. Disturbed with increase no of mortality due to Nipah Virus (NiV ) infection n rumours spreading on social media platforms .

I request Kerala Chief minister Mr Pinarayi Vijayan to allow me to serve at Calicut Medical college to save innocent lives. Sister Lini is an inspiration and I am more than willing to sacrifice my life for the noble cause. May Allah give me the strength /knowledge and skill to serve Humanity.”

He also told CNN-News 18, that he’d back in Uttar Pradesh in June before the onset of Japanese encephalitis.

Earlier,  letter written by the Kerala nurse who died of the 'Nipah' virus has gone viral in the social media.

Twenty-eight-year-old Lini working in the Perambra Taluk Hospital in Kozhikode got exposed to the 'deadly' virus while treating affected patients. She died on Monday.

Reacting to Dr Kafeel’sKhan message, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan accepted his offer.

He wrote on Facebook “Many people have volunteered to assist the government in controlling the disease in places where the virus is infected with some places in Kozhikode district. The government is happy to provide opportunities for people like Kafeel Khan to work in Kerala. Such doctors and experts are requested to contact the Director of Health Services or Kozhikode Medical College Hospital Superintendent. Some of the talented doctors working in Kerala are already in Kozhikode. All thanks to them from the Kerala community”

The first death happened on Friday in the district of Kozhikode, said K.K. Shailaja, health minister of the state, a magnet for tourists.

"This is a new situation for us. We have no prior experience in dealing with the Nipah virus," said Shailaja. "We are hopeful we can put a stop to the outbreak."

Of 18 people screened for the virus, 12 came back positive, she told a news conference, adding that 10 of them had died, with the other two being monitored closely.

Three of the victims, members of the same family, are suspected to have been infected by bats that crowded a well near their home, said a local government official, U. V. Jose.

"We have closed the well and evacuated the people living nearby," said Jose, adding that federal health officials who visited the area were investigating.

The deaths had sparked concern among residents, he added.

"A large number of people affected by fever, and even minor ailments, are swarming to hospitals, fearing they have contracted the disease," Jose said.

"We've sought the help of private hospitals to tide over the crisis."

Health surveillance has been stepped up across Kerala, the state's health secretary, Rajeev Sadananda, told Reuters.

The virus was first detected in Malaysia in 1998, and India's eastern state of West Bengal has suffered two outbreaks in the last decade, killing 50 people, the WHO has said.

With inputs from Reuters