Nipah: The Number of Patients Tested Positive Has Become 5.
As Kerala state has once again encountered with the deadly Nipah virus, health system across the state is on full alert. Health Minister Veena George said that full arrangements for the detection, treatment and care of patients are ready. The number of patients tested positive has turned to five which was four earlier. National Institute of Virology, Pune has sent mobile BSL-3 laboratory to Kerala for testing the samples from Kerala.
The route map of the patients diagnosed with Nipah was released earlier. Up until now, total of 700 people were tested, who were in the contact list of diagnosed people. 157 people in the list are health care workers, 76 of the tested people are reported to be on high risk, 72 of these are relatives of the 4 patients tested positive earlier and 4 of the remaining are those who attended the funeral of the person who died on August 30th.
The number of people tested positive has become 5, earlier it was 2 with two deaths. Fourteen people are in isolation now at Kozhikode Medical College.
Two well equipped laboratories for diagnosing and conducting follow up tests are set up in Kerala. The list for the contacted people is likely to rise.
The first Nipah breakout in Kerala was in 2018. The deadly virus took the life of 17 people out of the 18, who had tested positive. A treatment protocol and operating procedure were brought in 2018 by the Health department to tackle the Nipa virus. The said protocol was revised in 2021 according to new findings. The same protocol will be followed now to keep things under control.
Kozhikode district is under strict watch. Seven panchayats namely Atanchery, Maruthonkara, Kuttiyadi, Kayakkodi, Tiruvallur, Kavilumpara and Vallyapalli are declared containment zone. Schools and colleges were shut down for two days, 14 and 15 of September. Public gatherings are not allowed and locals are instructed to wear mask.
Apart from Kozhikode, neighbouring districts of Malappuram, Wayanad and Kannur were also instructed to be on high alert.
With inputs from agencies.
