Nipah Virus: Kozhikode man tests positive, 77 contacts identified

Kozhikode: A case of Nipah virus infection has been confirmed in Kozhikode district, prompting the district administration to initiate surveillance and containment measures on Thursday.

A government press release said the 43-year-old patient is undergoing treatment in the ICU of Kozhikode Medical College Hospital.

According to the collector, 77 people have been identified in the contact list of the infected individual.

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According to the PTI report, they include 58 healthcare workers, 14 family members, and five friends and colleagues. None of the contacts has reported any symptoms so far, the statement said.

Of the 77 contacts, two have been classified in the highest-risk category, 13 in the high-risk category, and 62 in the low-risk category.

All individuals in the highest-risk and high-risk categories have been placed under quarantine, the statement said. The collector also confirmed that the patient's route map has been prepared.

“Field-level containment and surveillance activities have already commenced. Rapid Response Team meetings were held in Ramanattukara municipality on Wednesday and Thursday as part of preparedness measures,” the collector said.

Personal protective equipment, including PPE kits, gloves, and masks, has been made available, and steps have been initiated to ensure the availability of medicines as a precautionary measure, the collector said.

A control room has been opened at the district medical office to provide information and address public queries regarding the disease.

The contact numbers of the control room are 0495-2373901 and 9072007767.

A document on the Kerala Directorate of Health Services website states that the Nipah virus is a zoonotic virus capable of transmission between animals and humans.

Fruit bats, also known as flying foxes, are the natural reservoir of the Nipah virus. The virus can also cause illness in pigs and humans, it adds.

“Infection with NiV is associated with encephalitis (swelling of the brain) and can cause mild to severe illness and even death. Outbreaks occur almost annually in parts of Asia, primarily Bangladesh and India,” it said.

The document on the official website said Nipah virus infection can be prevented by avoiding contact with sick pigs and bats and by not consuming raw date palm sap, which may be contaminated.

It added that standard infection-control practices can help prevent transmission in hospitals during outbreaks.

Health Minister K Muraleedharan held a review meeting in Thiruvananthapuram to assess the situation. Late on Wednesday night, he said the patient had come into contact with a large number of people.

The minister said the patient first visited the outpatient section of a hospital and later underwent MRI and echocardiography tests.

“We have asked the concerned health workers and others who may have been exposed to remain in quarantine,” he added.

He said all necessary arrangements had been made at Kozhikode Medical College to handle the situation.

“There is no need for panic at this stage. The patient had recently rented a godown and cleaned it himself. We suspect he may have contracted the infection during that process,” Muraleedharan said, reports PTI.

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