Another person infected by Nipah virus in Kerala, total 5 cases now

Mangalore Today News Network

Kozhikode, Sep 14, 2023: Kerala’s Health Minister Veena George on Wednesday confirmed a new case of the Nipah virus in the state’s Kozhikode district, taking the total number of affected persons to five.

 

 

A 24-year-old health worker at a private hospital has been diagnosed with the Nipah virus, the minister said.

According to Veena George, at least 706 people were on the contact list of the health worker, which includes 153 health workers and 77 others in the high-risk category.

In addition, 13 people have been put under observation in a hospital with mild symptoms like headaches.

According to details, till Wednesday morning, three people were in the intensive care unit (ICU), but currently, only a 9-year-old, who had tested positive earlier, is in the ICU.

NIPAH VIRUS

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Nipah virus infection is a zoonotic illness that is transmitted to people from animals and can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly from person-to-person.

Among infected people, it causes a range of illnesses, from asymptomatic (subclinical) infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis. The virus can also cause severe disease in animals such as pigs, resulting in significant economic losses for farmers, according to WHO.

GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSE

The Kerala government issued a district-wide health alert and also created a control room in Kozhikode with an advisory to people to use masks as a precautionary measure after two deaths were reported suspected to be due to the Nipah virus infection.

The health department on Tuesday also formed 16 core committees for surveillance, sample test and research management, contact tracing, and patient transportation management, among others.

Courtesy: India Today