Nipah: Experts seek deeper eco studies
Experts have stressed the need for better monitoring of Pteropus fruit bats, the natural carriers of the virus, along with efforts to protect their habitats and raise awareness to reduce human-bat contact.
A study published in PLOS Global Public Health in December 2024 pointed out some key findings. It was led by experts including TS Anish, nodal officer of Kerala One Health Centre for Nipah Research and Resilience.
The study said that four of the six Nipah outbreaks in Kerala (2018, 2019, 2023, July 2024) happened during El Nino years. All six took place between May and Sept, which is the fruit ripening season. It said that these patterns showed how environmental factors affect man-animal interactions and may lead to Nipah outbreaks.
The study also noted that fear during Nipah outbreaks in Kerala led to harmful social behaviour.
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It often caused conflicts between people and animals and ended with more bat habitats being damaged. People were found cutting trees used by bats and using firecrackers to scare them away. Another study in Malaysia said such actions could increase chances of human-bat contact and may cause infected bats to migrate to new areas.
Faculty at Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University's centre for wildlife studies (CWS) Dr George Chandy said that field studies conducted by the centre found evidence of destruction of bat roosts in Kozhikode and Wayanad.
Dr Chandy said that the exact way Nipah spreads from bats to humans is still unclear. He said it is important not to disturb bat roosts. After every outbreak, it was seen that people destroyed bat habitats in many areas. During student fieldwork, some roosts found in pilot studies were found affected.
Dr Chandy said that people had cut tree branches with bat roosts at Pazhassi Park in Mananthavady. Crackers and other methods were used to scare bats which might cause stress and increase virus spread.
He said the two main actions needed now are to protect bat habitats and raise awareness to reduce interactions between humans and bats.
Prejith K, Associate Professor at KVASU, said that ecological factors in the region should be studied more and added that climate change might be causing stress in bats. "Recurring cases highlight the need to examine if ecological factors including deforestation or land use changes are contributing to habitat loss of bats and inducing stress among bat populations," he said.
He added that the growing number of fruit trees in house compounds, including non-native ones, could attract more bats. He said this needs to be studied to understand if it is leading to more human-bat contact.
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