Nipah Virus in Kerala: No new cases in State, says Health Minister Veena George

Malappuram: Kerala Health Minister Veena George said on Tuesday that all 19 persons, including including those of close relatives of the 14-year-old boy who died from on July 21, have tested negative.

According to a UNI report, talking to newspersons after the review meeting at the collectorate, she said 19 persons, including five in the high-risk category on the Nipah contact list, were tested today and all of them came negative, this is considered as a sigh of relief to the state.

She said, "Those people in isolation should remain in 21-day quarantine, otherwise legal action under the Public Health Act will be taken against those who violate the protocol."

The Health authorities checked the people with CCTV footage and contact is prepared flawlessly, to ensure that not a single person is left out, she informed.

Ms George said that at present there are 460 people in the contact list, of them 220 people belong to the high-risk category, while 142 people in the high-risk category are healthcare workers, she informed, news agency UNI reported.

Nineteen people included in the contact list are admitted to various hospitals, including 17 in Manjeri Medical College and two in Thiruvananthapuram district.

The fever surveillance team had visited 18,055 houses, including 10,248 in Pandikkad and 7,807 in Annakayam panchayaths in the district, while 728 fever cases were reported at Pandikkad and 286 in Annakayam panchayaths.

An expert team from NIV, Pune, led by Dr Balasubramaniam, has arrived in Kozhikode today and began their testing process, the efforts were going on to bring the team to Malappuram, she said.

The NIV team will also monitor bats and collect bats samples from various places in the district, she added.