Woman who died in quarantine tests negative for Nipah
Health Minister Veena George said that 498 people in the State were on the Nipah contact list. She said prevention activities should continue until September as per the Nipah calendar.
When 203 people are under observation in Malappuram, 116 are under observation in Kozhikode, 177 in Palakkad, and two in Ernakulam. Eleven of them are under treatment in Malappuram, with two in intensive care units. As many as 46 persons on the contact list in Malappuram have tested negative for Nipah so far.
In Palakkad, three persons are being treated in isolation. Five tests in Palakkad have been negative so far. The Minister said that 29 persons in the State were in highest risk category and 116 in high risk category. The Nipah-infected woman is under treatment in Kozhikode.
Meanwhile, a Central medical team on Wednesday visited Malappuram and Palakkad districts to coordinate the virus prevention efforts. The national joint outbreak response team appointed by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will give a report to the Centre. The Central team is led by Pranay Verma, joint director at the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). The team includes experts from the National Institute of Virology, Pune, scientists, veterinary consultants and animal husbandry experts.
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The nature of the infection has evolved, as the later cases in Bangladesh and India reported being sick after consuming fruits or raw date palm sap that had unknowingly been contaminated by bats' saliva or urine. Although the infection is currently limited to a small but deadly belt, the urgent call for preparedness in other countries is important. The World Health Organization highlighted how the virus passed from person to person in these outbreaks, especially in close-contact situations. In Siliguri, India, in 2001, the virus even made its way through hospitals, and about 75% of the cases were either hospital workers or visitors. People trying to help others ended up getting sick themselves. Between 2001 and 2008, in Bangladesh, nearly half the cases came from people who had cared for loved ones who were infected. What is the Nipah virus? As per the Cleveland Clinic, Nipah virus (NiV) is a virus that spreads between animals and people (a zoonotic virus). 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New Indian Express
a day ago
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