Following the death of a Nipah patient in Malappuram, the Centre has deployed a multi-member joint outbreak response team from the National ‘One Health Mission’ of the Union Health Ministry. This team will support the state in investigating the case, identifying epidemiological linkages, and providing technical assistance. Additionally, at the state’s request, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has sent monoclonal antibodies for patient management, and a mobile BSL-3 laboratory has arrived in Kozhikode for testing additional samples from contacts. Unfortunately, the monoclonal antibodies could not be used due to the patient’s poor condition.
The Union Health Ministry has advised the state government to take immediate public health measures, including active case search within the patient’s family, neighborhood, and similar topographic areas, active contact tracing for the past 12 days, strict quarantine for contacts, isolation of any suspects, and collection and transportation of samples for lab testing. A 14-year-old boy from Malappuram, who exhibited Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) symptoms, was admitted to a healthcare facility in Perinthalmanna and later transferred to a higher health center in Kozhikode, where he succumbed to the disease. His samples, sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune, confirmed a Nipah virus infection.
Health Minister Veena George confirmed that seven samples sent for testing from Pandikkad and Anakkayam panchayats came back negative. These included samples from six schoolmates of the deceased boy and a 68-year-old man. The boy’s parents, who showed no symptoms, are under observation in the isolation ward of Kozhikode Medical College Hospital. Currently, 330 individuals are on the contact list, with 68 being health workers and 101 in the ‘high risk’ category. The health department has initiated a door-to-door survey in Pandikkad and Anakkayam panchayats, identifying 28 people with fever. A fresh route map will be released, and the virus’s source will be confirmed in a few days.
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