Kerala Reports Nipah Virus Case, Patient on Ventilator; 77 Under Watch

Keralam reports Nipah virus case, patient on ventilator; 77 contacts under observation: Health Minister Muraleedharan

Thiruvananthapuram, June 11

The Minister said preliminary results were positive, though confirmation from the Virology Institute is awaited.

"The results are positive. Test results from the Virology Institute are awaited," Muraleedharan told reporters.

According to the Minister, the patient was first admitted to Crescent Hospital in Calicut with a high fever before moving to another hospital. The hospital suspected Nipah after the fever persisted.

"The patient was first admitted with high fever in Crescent Hospital, Calicut. Later, he went to another hospital. As he ran a fever continuously, the hospital suspected it to be a case of Nipah virus. At present, the patient is on a ventilator. He came in contact with 77 persons, including 58 health workers, 14 members of his family and 5 friends. There are no symptoms of disease in the people he came in contact with," the minister said.

The Minister urged caution during the May-September period, considered high risk for Nipah transmission.

"May to September is a dangerous time period- don't try to touch or provoke Bats during this time. If you see them, alert the authorities. We are working on how to prevent Nipah cases," Muraleedharan added.

In February, in a first for the decade, the nurse who was infected with the Nipah virus died of a cardiac arrest in West Bengal, the state health department said.

Nipah virus is a zoonotic disease spread primarily through contact with fruit bats or infected bodily fluids. It can also pass from person to person through close contact and body fluids. Kerala has reported multiple Nipah outbreaks in recent years.

Meanwhile, a Nipah Isolation Ward has been set up at Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital following the confirmation of a Nipah virus case in the district.

Further regarding the update in Shigella infection cases, the Health Minister said that so far 20 people have reported positive for the infection, adding that the administration is closely monitoring the situation.

"Total 20 persons have been reported positive for Shigella. The situation is under control. Some local restaurants which are operating in very dirty conditions must be closed. We have given instructions to this effect," he said.

Earlier, Keralam Minister T Siddique also said that the Shigella outbreak reported in parts of the state is "under control", with steps to manage the situation being initiated.

The remarks came after health officials confirmed that two students from a school in Wayanad had tested positive for Shigellosis. The confirmed cases involve a four-and-a-half-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl.

According to health authorities, 339 people have reported symptoms associated with the infection. Of these, 21 are undergoing treatment at Sultan Bathery Taluk Headquarters Hospital, while 38 others are receiving treatment at private hospitals. Officials have said that none of the patients is currently in serious condition.

— ANI