Centre likely to send outbreak response team to Kerala after 2 nipah cases reported

New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry is actively considering dispatching the National Joint Outbreak Response Team (NJORT) to Kerala to support state authorities in implementing public health measures following the confirmation of two Nipah virus cases, according to sources on Saturday.

Officials said that the Central Surveillance Unit of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) at the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is closely coordinating with its state counterpart and keeping a watchful eye on developments.

The State Control Room has been activated for coordinating the various containment activities.

Public health actions are being carried out in accordance with the Kerala State Nipah Virus Disease (NiVD) guidelines, which cover surveillance, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and control strategies.

"Although prima facie, the two cases are epidemiologically unlinked, the timelines of symptom onset and the possibility of a common social event connecting the two are being investigated," a source said.

Health authorities have identified more than 300 contacts spanning across Palakkad, Malappuram, and Kozhikode districts.

A fresh case of Nipah virus was confirmed on Friday, in which a 38-year-old woman from Thachanattukara in Palakkad tested positive, an official release said.

The infected patient is being treated at a private hospital in Malappuram district, official sources stated.

Additionally, the case of an 18-year-old girl who died in Chettiyarangadi, Malappuram district, suspected of being related to Nipah, was confirmed on Friday by the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune.

State Health Minister Veena George informed that 345 people are on the Nipah contact list, with 211 in Malappuram, 91 in Palakkad, and 43 in Kozhikode.

PTI