Nipah Virus in Kerala: Outbreak under control but threat not over, says CM Pinarayi Vijayan

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday the Nipah outbreak reported from Kozhikode district is under control but the threat of the infectious disease is not over yet. He said that at present, it is not possible to rule out the chance of a second wave of the Nipah outbreak.

"It cannot be said that the threat of Nipah is completely over," the Chief Minister told a press conference here.

Vijayan said the state health system could effectively prevent the spread of the deadly virus.

Also Read:No new case of Nipah virus, 61 high-risk contacts test negative: Kerala Health Minister

"The health system is working cautiously. Early detection of the virus averted a dangerous situation," he said.

Narrating the steps taken by the government to check the prevention of the disease, Vijayan said currently 994 people are under surveillance.

Samples of 304 people were collected, and of this, the test results of 267 people have been received, he added.

He said six people tested positive and nine people are under observation at Kozhikode Medical College.

The Chief Minister said even the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) could not provide a clear answer to why Nipah cases are being reported from Kozhikode district.

Nipah cases were reported from the Kozhikode district on previous occasions in 2018 and 2021.

Medical Dialogues team recently reported that Kerala Health Minister Veena George said no fresh cases of the Nipah virus were reported in the State as 61 samples taken of 'high-risk' contacts including healthcare workers tested negative. She further said that the Nipah strain found in Kerala has been identified as the Indian Genotype, or I Genotype, which is similar to the strain found in Bangladesh. Six cases of the Nipah virus have been so far found in the state of which two persons died while four others, including a nine-year-old boy, are under treatment.