About 472 persons were being monitored after being in contact with the minor boy who tested positive and later died of the infection.
Published Aug 22, 2024 | 8:00 AM ⚊ Updated Aug 22, 2024 | 9:55 AM
Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala
Kerala Health Department on Wednesday, 21 August, declared Malappuram district officially free of Nipah Virus (NiV). Vigilance was maintained for 42 days, twice the incubation period, after the presence of the virus was confirmed.
The 472 persons who were being monitored after being in contact with the boy who tested positive and later died of the infection have now been released from quarantine and all restrictions were withdrawn. Stringent measures implemented by the health department proved effective, preventing further transmission of the virus beyond the initial case.
Health Minister Veena George commended the coordinated efforts of the health teams and local authorities. “Despite achieving the double incubation period without new cases, we must remain vigilant,” she said, at a review meeting.
Rapid contact tracing, the setting up of a 24-hour Nipah control room, and 25 committees to enforce Nipah guidelines were all part of the rapid response in the district. Temporary restrictions in affected areas such as Pandikkad and Anakkayam were instrumental in curbing the spread; specialised fever clinics and mental health support initiatives in Vandoor, Nilambur, and Karuvarakundu were also pressed into service.
Health Minister Veena George expressed condolences over the death of the 14-year-old boy on 21 July, while under treatment at the Kozhikode Medical College. The boy had been confirmed positive for the Nipah virus on 20 July, after tests at the National Institute of Virology, Pune.
This was the fifth spell of Nipah infection in the state after the first case was detected in 2018. The state has seen 21 people die after infection by the bat-origin virus. Following the death of the boy due to Nipah a central team arrived in Malappuram on 24 July. The team, comprising Assistant Directors of the Disease Control Center, Dr. Ananthesh and Dr. Jitish, epidemiologist (animal husbandry department) Dr. Hanul Tukral, and Wildlife Officer Dr. Gajendra, visited the specially set up Nipah Control Room in the district.
Later, they held discussions with District Collector V.R. Vinod, Health Department Director Dr. K.J. Reena, Deputy Directors Dr. Nandakumar and Dr. Reetha, DMO Dr. R. Renuka, Deputy DMO Nuna Marj, DPM Dr. Anoop, Surveillance Officer Dr. Shubin, and others.
The team then held discussions with animal husbandry department officials and visited the isolation ward at Manjeri Medical College Hospital and the Pandikkad Family Health Centre. They also went to the home of the boy who died and met his parents and relatives.
(Edited by Rosamma Thomas with inputs from Dileep V Kumar)
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