46 more contacts of boy who died of Nipah test negative so far: Kerala Health Minister

Thiruvananthapuram: Test results of 46 people who had come in close contact with the 12-year-old child who succumbed to Nipah have been negative, till now, for the virus infection, Kerala Health Minister Veena George said on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, the minister had told media persons here that with negative test results of 20 more people being reported in the morning, the total number of people who are in the clear was 30.

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On Tuesday, 10 had tested negative.

Later on Wednesday evening, during a press meet, she said that samples of 16 more people who were in the primary contact list of the victim have tested negative for Nipah.

The minister further said that 265 people were now there in the primary contact list, out of which 62 were in isolation. Their health was stable, she said.

Of those under observation, 12 were displaying mild symptoms and 47 were from other districts of the state.

She said that while there was no need to be alarmed at present, people and the authorities need to be vigilant.

She directed that all those on the contact list abide by the quarantine criteria and even those whose test results were negative must remain in isolation in the hospital for three more days and can return home only if they have the facility to remain isolated at their residence.

She further said that trained volunteers inspected 4,995 homes in the areas under containment and 27,536 people were examined, of whom 44 were found to have mild fever-like symptoms.

Mobile labs would be set up to check those who display fever-like symptoms during the home visits, she said and added that those with fever or flu-like symptoms should not take the COVID vaccine without the advice of a health professional.

The minister directed the local authorities to ensure that those in Nipah-related isolation get the food kits and that each of the 265 people in the contact list has one volunteer each to help them.

She also advised people against eating fruits that fall from trees and said that fruits purchased from the market should be properly cleaned before use or consumption.

Besides this, she said that a team of experts from the Pune Virology Institute has reached the district and would soon start testing samples.

Also Read:Centre calls for reinforcing hospital, community-based surveillance to contain Nipah outbreak