Ishita Nair, Manasi Narayan, and Madison Crombie’s Disaster Response Plan for Kerala, India

Introduction: Nipah virus (NiV), which was recognized in Malaysia in 1999, is a zoonotic virus spread through direct contact between infected pigs and humans. This virus can also be transmitted through contaminated food and person-to-person via exposure to secretions from infected animals and unprotected person-to-person contact. Thus it is both highly infectious as well as potentially fatal, with a fatality rate of 40-76%.

This Disaster Management Plan provides an outline for the roles and responsibilities to be adhered to, in support of emergency operations in Kerala, India, during the event of a NiV outbreak. It serves as a comprehensive framework for coordinating response efforts and implementing effective strategies to control and mitigate the impact of the virus on public health and population safety.