No new Nipah virus reported in Kerala: Health Minister

Kerala Health Minister Veena George said that no new cases of the Nipah were reported in Kerala till Saturday afternoon after samples of 11 more people tested negative for the infectious virus. "Those who tested positive are undergoing treatment at two private hospitals and medical college hospitals in Kerala. Medical boards have been set up in all those hospitals", said George while speaking to ANI.

A total of six persons have so far tested positive for Nipah virus in the state and two of them have succumbed to the disease. The health minister said that a total of 21 people are quarantined at the Government Medical College in Kozhikode.

"A total of 21 people were quarantined. Meanwhile, the condition of all those who tested positive is stable now. The nine-year-old is still on the ventilator but his condition is slightly improving", the health minister said. Earlier today, the Kerala health minister said that at present, the contact list of infected persons has 1,080 people while 130 people have been newly included today in the list. Out of all this 327 people in the list are health workers.

A total of 29 people in other districts are in the contact list of Nipah-infected people. Among them, 22 are from Malappuram, one from Wayanad and three from Kannur and Thrissur, said Veena George. In the high-risk category, 175 are common people and 122 are healthcare workers.

The Health Minister further informed that the number of people in the contact list is likely to increase as the test result of the person who died on August 30 has come out positive making it the index case of Nipah in the district. The two deaths from the Nipah virus in Kozhikode took place on August 30 and September 11.

As many as 17 persons who had attended the cremation of the man who died on August 30 were put under isolation. While four of the active cases are undergoing treatment in hospitals. Meanwhile, in the wake of the Nipah virus infection, all educational institutes in Kerala's Kozhikode will remain shut for a week until next Sunday, September 24. This includes schools, professional colleges, and tuition centres. Online classes will be ensured throughout the week, the district administration said on Friday.

The Kozhikode collector has ordered the Beypore port, which falls under the quarantine zone, to remain closed. Earlier, 9 affected gram panchayats in the Kozhikode area were declared as quarantine zones.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Nipah virus is caused by fruit bats and is potentially fatal to humans as well as animals. Along with respiratory illness, it is also known to cause fever, muscular pain, headache, fever, dizziness, and nausea.