345 people on Nipah contact list in Kerala
This includes 211 people in Malappuram, 91 in Palakkad, and 43 in Kozhikode. All those on the contact list at Kozhikode are health-care workers
Two persons from Palakkad and Malappuram suspected of having Nipah after preliminary examination of samples at Malappuram and Kozhikode Medical Colleges had tested positive. Following this, the sample from Palakkad sent to the National Institute of Virology at Pune was confirmed as positive.
However, the Health department had initiated all control measures in Palakkad even before the official conformation came. The route map of the Nipah-positive person in Palakkad has now been released and Palakkad, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts have been put on alert.
Meanwhile, experts cautioned people that roosting bats should not be disturbed by bursting crackers or by any other means. The department directed the affected districts to strengthen contact tracing by focussing around hospitals and other health-care institutions and to ensure that none are missed when preparing the contact lists.
Both patients in Malappuram and Palakkad began showing symptoms from June 25 and 26. Health workers will start collecting local field information from the three weeks preceding this period. Efforts will be to find if there have been any pneumonia or encephalitis deaths in the localities.
The department has established State and district control rooms in connection with the Nipah outbreaks. In all three districts, 26 committees each have been set up. The help of the police is also being sought to prepare the contact list.
The district Collectors have declared containment zones in Palakkad and Malappuram. People here should necessarily wear masks in public places.
Those who participated in the high-level meeting convened by the Health Minister included the Additional Chief Secretary (Health), NHM State Mission Director, Director of Health Services, Director of Medical Education, Additional Directors, District Collectors, District Medical Officers, police officials, and other department officials.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Skin bank at Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, to be inaugurated on July 15
Kerala's first skin bank is ready at the Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram. The facility has secured approval from the Kerala State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (K-SOTTO) for receiving skin through skin donation, Health Minister Veena George said on Saturday. The inauguration of the facility has been scheduled for July 15 to coincide with the World Plastic Surgery Day observance. Skin banks are a valuable asset in the treatment of burn victims and patients with severe skin injuries. Skin banks collect and store skin from donors. The skin bank at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College has been constructed at a cost of ₹6.75 crore. The skin is stored in specific temperatures and systems. In situations where the skin of a patient who is being treated for burn injuries cannot be used, the bank can be resorted to for skin grafts, the Minister said. The burns unit at the medical college functions under the Plastic Surgery department. Ms. George said that efforts are also on to establish a similar skin bank at the Government Medical College, Kottayam. The State government also has plans to open more burns units across the State and standardise them, the Health Minister said. Steps have been taken to open burns units at the medical colleges in Kollam, Alappuzha and Kannur. Plastic surgery departments were started at these medical colleges during the current government's term. The medical colleges in Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Ernakulam, and Thrissur and the general hospitals in Ernakulam and Kollam already have burns units.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
3 hours ago
- Business Standard
Centre to deploy team for health measures after Kerala confirms Nipah case
The Centre will deploy a team of experts to support Kerala in public health measures following the confirmation of at least one Nipah virus case in the state, according to sources. This comes after the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, on Friday confirmed Nipah infection in a 38-year-old woman from Palakkad district. The affected patient is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Malappuram. Tests are also ongoing for samples from an 18-year-old girl, who had succumbed to acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) in Kozhikode three days ago. Health authorities in these three districts have been put on high alert, with officials working on contact tracing and quarantining people who could be at risk of infection. Kerala Health Minister Veena George said that a total of 345 people have already been traced as possible contacts for the two patients. 'Out of these, 211 people are in Malappuram, 91 in Palakkad and 43 in Kozhikode district,' she added. Reports suggest that at least 26 rapid response teams have been set up in each of the three affected districts in response to the evolving situation. These teams will carry out contact tracing, symptom monitoring and public awareness. Nipah is a zoonotic virus that is transmitted from animals to humans, with the fruit bat being a natural carrier of the virus. Kerala has been reporting Nipah outbreaks for the past few years, starting in 2018 when 17 persons had died due to the infection. The latest case had come in May this year when a 42-year-old woman tested positive for the virus, but recovered.
United News of India
9 hours ago
- United News of India
Nipah outbreak: 1 dead, 345 on contact list in Kerala
Thiruvananthapurm, July 5 (UNI) In view of one death due to Nipah and another person testing positive for the virus, the Kerala Health Department has prepared a Nipah contact list comprising 345 individuals in the state. The state's health department has activated emergency containment protocols across three districts: Malappuram, Palakkad, and Kozhikode. Health Minister Veena George stated yesterday that 211 people are from Malappuram, 91 from Palakkad and 43 from Kozhikode and all of them are healthcare workers. The current Nipah suspicion pertains to individuals in the Palakkad and Malappuram districts. The state's health department has sprang into action, tracing contacts and implementing emergency protocols to contain the spread of the virus. Following the detection of the virus in tests conducted at the medical colleges in Malappuram and Kozhikode, samples have been sent to the Pune Virology Institute for confirmation. One patient undergoing treatment in Palakkad has tested positive. The patient's route map has been published. Even before confirmation, preventive measures were intensified in accordance with protocol. Alert advisories have been issued in Kozhikode, Malappuram, and Palakkad districts in connection with the two confirmed Nipah cases. Experts have advised against using firecrackers or other methods to scare away bats. Kerala has experienced multiple Nipah outbreaks in the past - in 2018, 2021, 2023, and 2024- all marked by high fatality rates. Hospitals and healthcare institutions have been directed to strengthen contact tracing and ensure no one is left unidentified in the contact list. The availability of protective equipment in hospitals must be ensured. Efforts to trace the source of the infection should also be intensified, and route maps should be released without delay. Symptoms in the two confirmed Nipah cases first appeared on the 25th and 26th of last month. Information will be collected from the affected areas going back three weeks. Authorities will also investigate whether any deaths occurred during that period due to encephalitis or pneumonia. State and district control rooms have been set up. In each of the three affected districts, 26 committees have been formed. The contact list is being prepared with assistance from the police. District collectors in two regions have declared containment zones, where mask-wearing is now mandatory. UNI DS AAB RKM
