Kerala: No new Nipah cases in last six days, restrictions lifted

The Kozhikode district administration on Thursday lifted restrictions after no fresh cases of Nipah virus were reported in Kerala for a sixth straight day

Kochi: The Kozhikode district administration on Thursday lifted restrictions that were imposed as part of containment zones in nine village panchayats, after no fresh cases of Nipah virus were reported in Kerala for a sixth straight day, people familiar with the matter said.

The Kozhikode district administration lifts restrictions after no fresh cases of Nipah virus were reported in Kerala. (AFP)

The containment zones in Vadakara taluk were removed by collector A Geetha following the health department’s assessment that the outbreak has been contained.

So far, six cases of the Nipah virus have been reported in Kozhikode, of which two died while four others are under treatment. “The condition of all active cases, including the nine-year-old boy, is satisfactory,” the health department said in a statement.

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No fresh cases of the virus were reported on Thursday and 27 more samples tested negative, the statement added. So far, the majority of the high-risk contacts of the six infected people have been identified and their samples have returned negative.

Meanwhile, more relaxations were introduced in Feroke municipality wards and Kozhikode corporation, both of which were declared containment zones.

All shops in these areas can operate until 8 pm and all banks and treasury offices can function till 2 pm. These wards were declared as containment zones after the sixth positive case was reported in a 39-year-old from Cheruvannur, an area within Corporation limits.

A total of 981 people are currently on the contact list after 307 names were removed following the completion of isolation. Those on the contact list have to undergo 21 days of isolation to check for symptoms.