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In Kerala, 1 more tests positive for Nipah, tally at 6
A 39-year-old man in Kerala has tested positive for the Nipah virus, bringing the total number of infections to six. The man contracted the virus after coming into contact with a previously infected patient who later died. The Nipah virus is highly pathogenic and often fatal, causing brain swelling and respiratory distress. There is currently no cure or vaccine for the virus. The Indian government is working to evaluate preventive measures to tackle the outbreak.
Kochi: A 39-year-old man in Kerala tested positive for the Nipah virus on Friday, pushing the overall number of infections to six, as the central and state governments stepped up their efforts to evaluate preventive measures to tackle the deadly pathogen that attacks the brain and is often fatal.
Of the six cases, two patients died on August 30 and September 11, and the remaining four are undergoing treatment, officials aware of the matter said.
Dr KK Rajaram, the district medical officer (DMO) of Kozhikode which has recorded all the cases, said the man from Cheruvannur, an area within the Kozhikode Corporation limits, contracted the virus after coming in contact at a private hospital with the 47-year-old man who was infected and succumbed during treatment on August 30.
“We have been able to establish the point of contact of the latest person who was infected. The 39-year-old was at the same private hospital where the first Nipah victim had sought treatment before he died,” Rajaram said.
“We will soon publish a route map with the details of the places he visited during the course of infection. The contact list will also be altered to include all those who came in contact with him,” he added.
The 39-year-old is stable and currently in hospital isolation, officials said.
The Nipah virus (NiV) is a highly pathogenic virus that causes fatal encephalitis – swelling of the brain – and acute respiratory distress in humans. The virus is transmitted to humans by direct contact with the respiratory secretions or body fluids of infected animals, such as bats and pigs, or by consumption of contaminated fruits or palm sap. Both animal-to-human and human-to-human transmission have been documented in several research papers. The virus at present has no cure or vaccine,
India has witnessed at least five outbreaks since 2001, from West Bengal, and Kerala, with the latest being the fifth. The first was in Siliguri in Bengal; the other four have been in Kerala.
On Tuesday, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya told reporters in Delhi that an expert team was sent to Kerala to assist the state government in managing the outbreak.
There are now 1,080 people on the contact list, out of which 297 are in the ‘high-risk’ category, officials said. There are 72 people in the contact list of the person who tested positive on Friday.
Kerala health minister Veena George on Friday chaired a meeting with all department heads in Kozhikode to review ongoing measures to curtail the virus spread, Rajaram said. Containment zones, prohibitory measures in the district as well as updating the contact list were discussed in the meeting, he said.
George said the 47-year-old man who died in August was earlier suspected to have died of Nipah, as his sample was never sent for testing. But a swab sample collected from a private hospital where he had sought treatment confirmed he died due to the virus.
“Earlier, we were saying five confirmed cases and one suspected case. But now we can say that the first victim also died of Nipah and there are six confirmed cases in all,” she said.
Additionally, 30 samples sent for testing have returned negative, includinghealth workers at a private hospital, the minister said.
Earlier in the day, George also convened a meeting of ministers from Kozhikode district and local MPs, MLAs and heads of political parties to discuss the situation.
Besides, officials from a central team visited Kozhikode Medical College hospital where facilities to isolate victims or those suspected of contracting the virus were arranged. The team also visited panchayats in Kuttiady area which is affected by the virus, the DMO said.
The four-member central team visited the house and farms of THE 47-year-old man in Maruthonkara panchayat who succumbed to the virus on August 30, in an attempt to gather more details about the outbreak.
The team, led by Dr Balasubramaniam, a scientist at the Kerala unit of National Institute of Virology, also inquired about the work and activities the deceased was doing in the days before his death, an official who is part of the team said, seeking anonymity.
Experts also conducted a survey on the presence of bats in different areas of the district. They captured the bats, took samples from them, and freed them later, the official added.
Kozhikode district collector A Geetha, in a Facebook post, said those residing in containment zones must approach the Nipah control cell or local health officials if they experience symptoms such as fever, tiredness, cough, irritation in throat, loss of breath and disorientation.
Meanwhile, a native of Koyilandy in Kozhikode district was booked by police for allegedly sharing fake news about the Nipah virus on Facebook. The accused, Anil Kumar, was charged under section 118 (E) of the Kerala Police Act for knowingly causing danger to public or failure in public safety.
