Nipah alert in Kozhikode: 3 under observation as NCDC team rushes to Kerala
Kozhikode: Three individuals currently under quarantine have been hospitalised for medical observation, and their biological samples have been dispatched for laboratory evaluation as part of ongoing Nipah virus monitoring efforts in Kozhikode district, Kerala Health Minister K. Muraleedharan announced on Friday.
The health minister noted that a team of specialists from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is slated to arrive in the district on Saturday to evaluate the current status of the virus and inspect localised containment protocols.
No additional cases of Nipah virus have been confirmed within the district at this time, Muraleedharan said.
"The patient currently undergoing treatment for Nipah has been administered the first dose of monoclonal antibody therapy in accordance with ICMR guidelines and on the recommendation of the medical board," the minister stated.
Authorities have appended 10 additional individuals to the official contact roster, elevating the total number of monitored contacts to 87. Among those under surveillance, four individuals are classified in the highest-risk group, 16 are designated as high-risk, and 67 are categorised as low-risk, according to the minister.
Every individual documented on the contact list is receiving health checks twice per day via telephone updates from the central command station, Muraleedharan added.
"As part of preventive measures, health workers conducted a survey in 286 houses in Ward 5 of Ramanattukara municipality, where the Nipah case was reported. Twelve persons with fever were identified, but none showed symptoms associated with Nipah infection," the health minister said.
Additionally, an assembly of the local Rapid Response Team was convened within the Ramanattukara municipality to evaluate the ongoing localised containment strategies, he noted.
The active monitoring follows the recent confirmation of a Nipah virus case involving a 43-year-old male, who is currently receiving medical care at the Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital.
Nipah is a zoonotic pathogen capable of transmission from animals to humans, as well as via direct human-to-human contact. Fruit bats, commonly referred to as flying foxes, serve as the natural host environment for the virus. The disease can trigger acute respiratory distress alongside brain inflammation, and it carries a high mortality rate.
With inputs from PTI