Nipah virus: One more tests positive in Kozhikode; Active cases surge to 4

Kozhikode: A 39-year-old man who was under observation at a private hospital in Kozhikode has tested positive for the Nipah virus today. The active cases in Kerala now stand at 4. Earlier, two people had succumbed to the disease. The sample was initially examined at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital, and the results were then verified by sending it to the NIV mobile laboratory. 

Health Minister Veena George said that the person who tested positive today had come in contact with the person who died before. A native of Cheruvannur, the man approached the health department after seeing the symptoms of Nipah. He was then admitted to the Medical College Hospital.

The 11 samples that were sent for Nipah testing turned negative on Thursday (Sep 14). The number of people on the contact list has increased to 950, with 213 of them considered high-risk. The contact list also contains 287 health workers. To assess the situation and assist the state government in managing the Nipah infection, a five-person central team consisting of experts from the National Centre for Disease Control, RML Hospital, and NIMHANS has been stationed in Kerala.

The first Biosafety Level-3 containment mobile laboratory in South Asia, the mBSL-3 from the ICMR, will aid in early testing and infection detection at the district level itself.

The state had asked for an antibody to fight the virus infection, and the ICMR has provided it. Additionally, a mobile lab was transported to the spot so that the state could test samples. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) delivered the monoclonal antibody to Kozhikode on Thursday. Although its effectiveness has not yet been demonstrated in clinical trials, the antiviral is currently the sole choice the government has for treating infections.

• Nipah virus update