Curated By: Sumedha Kirti
Last Updated: September 14, 2023, 08:27 IST
Nipah Virus: The brain-damaging virus has killed two people and infected as many in Kerala’s Kozhikode district. (Shutterstock)
Nipah Virus: Kerala health minister Veena George said that the fifth case is of a 24 year-old health worker who is employed at a private hospital in Kozhikode.
The ‘Bangladesh strain’ has apparently infected five people so far in Kerala. The latest case was reported in Kozhikode district when a healthcare worker tested positive. The monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of the infected people are expected to be provided by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Thursday.
The monoclonal antibody is the only available anti-viral treatment for Nipah virus infection, though it has not been clinically proven yet.
Kerala health minister Veena George on Wednesday said that the fifth case of Nipah virus is of a 24 year-old health worker who is employed at a private hospital in Kozhikode.
History of the Infected People & Contact Tracing
• A report in The Hindu quoted official sources as saying that 371 contacts of the first victim, a 47-year-old man from Maruthonkara in Kozhikode, are under medical surveillance.
• The report further stated that 60 contacts of the man’s nine-year-old son, who is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in the city, too have been traced.
George informed the boy is on ventilator support at a hospital in Kozhikode, and his condition remains critical. “We have ordered the monoclonal antibody with the ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) and it would be brought to Kozhikode soon. The imported medicine is already available with the ICMR,” she said.
• The Hindu report further stated that one of the man’s brothers-in-law, a 24-year-old man, has 77 contacts.
• Another person who was on his contact list and has tested positive is the health worker who was found to be infected on Wednesday.
• Another health worker on the list tested negative for the virus, the report stated.
• The report further stated that the contact list of the second victim, a 40-year-old man from Ayancheri, has 281 persons. The condition of the infected persons are reported to be stable. A majority of those on the contact list are under isolation at their homes.
(details to follow)
