Nipah virus: 425 people under observation as Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode put on high alert
The health machinery across these districts have been put on high alert as the Health department is battling to prevent the spread of Nipah. While an adolescent girl from Makkaraparamba near Malappuram succumbed to the deadly virus on June 1, a 38-year-old woman from Thachanattukara in Palakkad district is battling for life at Moulana Hospital in Perinthalmanna.
Twelve persons are currently undergoing treatment in Malappuram — five of them in intensive care unit. However, one of them tested negative for the infection. The results of the others are awaited.
In Palakkad, one person who came in contact with the infected woman is being treated in isolation. Of the 110 people in the contact list in Palakkad, 61 are health workers. In Kozhikode, all 87 on the list are health workers.
The Health Department will soon begin a fever survey of houses within 3-km radius of the infected persons at Makkaraparamba and Thachanattukara. Health Minister Veena George on Saturday said that psychological assistance should be given to those on the contact lists.
Meanwhile, the Health Department intensified its efforts to find the source of the Nipah virus that infected the two persons.
Health officials began a surveillance in 20 wards of Makkaraparamba, Kuruva, Koottilangadi and Mankada panchayats in Malappuram district, and six wards of Thachanattukara and Karimpuzha panchayats in Palakkad district.
Sixty-five teams of health officials visited 1,655 houses in Malappuram. They found none with the symptoms of the infection. People were advised to remain cautious. Deputy district medical officer N.N. Pameeli, technical assistants C.K. Suresh Kumar and M. Shahul Hameed, and epidemiologist D. Kiran Raj led the survey.
A 10-year-old boy, a relative of the Nipah-infected woman at Thachanattukara, was hospitalised with high fever. Doctors said they were closely monitoring his condition.
Palakkad District Collector Priyanka G. warned people against violating the regulations in the containment zones. A 24x7 control room was opened to deal with the situation, and 26 outbreak response committees were formed by including specialist doctors of Government Medical College, Palakkad, and senior government officials.
Also read: Nipah restrictions in 20 wards in Malappuram, 6 in Palakkad
For the health officials in Malappuram district, the Nipah protocols are familiar as the district had witnessed three back-to-back Nipah cases within a year. While a 14-year-old boy died of Nipah infection near Pandikkad on July 21, 2024, a 24-year-old man died at Wandoor two months later. In May this year, a 42-year-old woman from Valanchery tested positive. Although she survived the deadly virus, she is yet to completely recover.
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