As the number of Nipah virus cases rose to six in Kerala’s Kozhikode, the state government declared holidays for educational institutes in the district till September 24. Here's what we know about the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala so far.
Nipah Virus in Kerala: Laboratory tests at NIV, Pune have confirmed that the presumed index case of the current Nipah outbreak in Kozhikode 47-year-old Mohammedali who died on August 30 had succumbed to Nipah infection. The laboratory confirmation came after a throat swab specimen obtained from the hospital where he had sought treatment tested positive on Friday. He was not diagnosed with Nipah during his treat ment at the hospital where he died, and he was presumed to be the index case after his two family members tested positive. One more person, a 39-year-old resident of Cheruvannur in Kozhikode corporation limits, tested positive on Friday, taking the number of active cases to four. Stay with TOI for all the latest updates
The Kerala government is searching for the source and place where the index case of the Nipah virus outbreak was infected. They are seeking details of the patient s mobile tower locations and collecting bat samples to determine the viral load. Contact tracing is being conducted for the sixth person infected, while 94 samples have tested negative.
Health Minister Veena George who presided over the meeting directed the local body heads to adopt all possible measures for the maximum circulation of governments’ safety instructions on social media for better reach and public awareness.
Nipah virus is a serious public health threat in several countries in South and Southeast Asia, including Bangladesh, India, and the Philippines. TheHealthSite.com