Nipah virus case detected in Kerala, 77 contacts identified as govt intensifies surveillance

Of the 77 contacts, two have been classified in the highest-risk category, 13 in the high-risk category, and 62 in the low-risk category.

A Nipah virus infection case has been confirmed in Kozhikode district, prompting the administration to initiate preventive measures on Thursday.

A security guard installs a warning board outside Nipah isolation ward at Government Medical College Hospital, in Kozhikode district. (PTI)

The infection was confirmed in a 43-year-old man from Ramanattukara, Kozhikode District Collector M S Madhavikutty said.

A government press release said the patient is undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit of Kozhikode Medical College Hospital.

According to the collector, 77 people have been identified in the contact list of the infected individual.

Among them are 58 healthcare workers, 14 family members, and five friends and colleagues.

None of the contacts has reported any symptoms so far, the statement said.

All those in the highest-risk and high-risk categories have been placed under quarantine, the statement said.

According to the WHO website, the Nipah virus is a zoonotic virus that is usually transmitted from animals to humans, but it can also be transmitted through contaminated food or through direct human-to-human contact.