Nipah Virus: Eating Fruits Without Washing Is Dangerous, Says AIIMS Expert

The AIIMS expert said that eating a fruit fallen, from the tree, without washing is very dangerous. If we don't wash before eating the fruits, it causes the virus to reach from animals to humans.

New Delhi: A 12-year-old boy died of the Nipah virus infection in Kozhikode, Kerala on Sunday, following which the health department is on high alert and people are being asked to take precautions. Meanwhile, an expert at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the country's largest hospital has said that eating unwashed fruit can be dangerous, reported ANI

Fruit bats leave their saliva on the fruit - AIIMS Expert

Dr Ashutosh Biswas, Professor, Department of Medicine at AIIMS has said that the Nipah virus is more contagious after it is transmitted from animals to humans. Nipah virus is spread mostly by fruit bats. Fruit bats leave their saliva on the fruit. The virus transmits to animals and humans once they eat the same fruit. As of now, there is no cure for this virus. Therefore, we have to take this highly contagious virus seriously.

Dr Ashutosh Biswas added, "In the past, we have seen and observed in India, that the fruit bats can also transmit it to our domestic animals like pigs, goats, cats, horses, and others. So, the jumping of this virus from animals to humans is very dangerous. This is what we call a spillover.''

Eating fallen fruits without washing is very dangerous - AIIMS Expert

Dr Ashutosh Biswas said, "Once this virus gets into human circulation, it starts to transmit from human-to-human and the transmission is so fast, that it can spill over. Therefore, it is very important to identify its origin in the beginning.''

He said, "Eating the fallen half-eaten fruits, without washing them, is very dangerous. If we don't wash fruit before eating, then the virus starts spreading from animals to humans."

What happened in Kerala?

A 12-year-old boy died of the Nipah virus in the Kozhikode district of Kerala. To stop the virus from spreading, the state health department has enforced a lockdown in a 3 km radius around the victim's house. The adjoining areas are also under tight vigil. The health department has been put on high alert in four districts - Kozhikode, neighbouring Kannur, Malappuram, and Wayanad districts.