Nipah contact list touches 425 in Kerala; officials step up tracing, isolation efforts

Thiruvananthapuram: The number of individuals on Kerala’s Nipah contact list has climbed to 425, as per an official press release by Health Minister Veena George on Saturday evening. Malappuram district accounts for the highest number of contacts with 228, followed by Palakkad with 110 and Kozhikode with 87.

In Malappuram, 12 people from the contact list are undergoing treatment, of whom five are in intensive care.

District-wise health status

In Palakkad, one person is being treated in isolation. The district’s contact list includes 61 healthcare workers. All 87 contacts identified in Kozhikode are health workers.

The Minister confirmed that one individual from the contact list has tested negative for Nipah.

Surveillance, isolation and mental health measures

The Health Minister directed officials to intensify fever surveillance in affected areas and emphasised the need to provide mental health support to the public.

In Palakkad, those on the contact list are to remain isolated within the district, and only their samples are to be sent for testing, according to decisions made at a high-level review meeting.

Ambulance readiness and contact tracing

Root maps of confirmed Nipah cases in Palakkad and Malappuram have been released. Ambulance services, including Kanivu 108, are on standby for emergency response. The Minister also instructed that efforts to trace the source of infection be strengthened.

High-level review meeting held

The high-level meeting was attended by the Additional Chief Secretary of the Health Department, State Mission Director of the National Health Mission (NHM), Director of the Health Department, Director of Medical Education, Additional Directors, District Collectors, District Medical Officers, police officers, and officials from multiple departments.

Earlier figures and independent cases

As of Friday evening, 325 people were listed as contacts. Reports at the time said that the two newly reported Nipah cases were not epidemiologically linked and were considered independent index cases. Both individuals reportedly showed no serious illness prior to diagnosis, suggesting the possibility of an increase in primary contacts. The rise in the contact list indicates the same.