According to news agency ANI, Kerala Health Minister Veena George said that 175 residents of the Malappuram district have been added to the contact list about the Nipah virus outbreak. There are a total of 175 health professionals, out of which 74 are involved in the current Nipah case. There are 104 high-risk individuals among the 126 individuals on the primary contact list. Subsequent contact applies to 49 more individuals.
Manjeri Medical College Hospital is presently providing medical care to ten individuals on the list. The ministry of health added that 13 people were undergoing testing, and the results were being anticipated. On September 9, Nipah virus infection resulted in the death of a 24-year-old male. Since 2018, the state has been dealing with this virus, but the first death case was recorded on July 21, 2024.
A PTI report stated that bats in the districts of Kozhikode, Wayanad, Idukki, Malappuram, and Ernakulam possessed antibodies against the Nipah virus. Fruit bats are the virus’s natural hosts and can transfer it to people, which opens the door to person-to-person transmission. The Nipah virus, which the World Health Organisation lists as a priority pathogen due to its propensity to spread epidemics, has been the cause of two deaths this year. There is no specific treatment or vaccine available to treat it.
State health minister Veena George has also designated five wards in the Malappuram district as containment zones in an effort to stop the virus’s possible spread. Every store in these areas will close by 7 p.m., and places where people gather like movie theatres, tuition centres, schools, colleges, Madrassas, and anganwadis, shall stay closed.