12-yr-old dies of Nipah, Centre rushes its team
Around 30 people have been sent to quarantine at a time when state is already struggling with Covid
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 12-year-old boy died of Nipah virus in north Kerala’s Kozhikode on Sunday morning, triggering concerns of a possible outbreak of another deadly virus as the state continues to struggle with the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic.
State health minister Veena George said the boy was admitted to a private hospital with high fever a few days ago, and was initially suspected to be suffering from brain fever.
“Unfortunately, the boy passed away at 5 in the morning. The condition of the child was critical on Saturday night. We formed various teams and have started the tracing. Steps have been taken to isolate those who were the primary contacts of the boy,” George said. At least 20 people, including the boy’s relatives and health care workers, have been put in quarantine, the minister said.
The minister said the infection was confirmed by the Pune NIV on Saturday night. “Three samples-- plasma, CSF and serum-- were found infected. He was admitted to the hospital with fever four days ago. But on Saturday, his condition became worse. We had sent his samples for testing the day before yesterday,” the minister said.
Meanwhile, the central government has rushed a team from the National Centre for Disease Control to the state to provide technical support.
Nipah virus is spread by saliva of the fruit bats. A zoonotic ailment sample of bats will be collected for further testing and a temporary lab will be set up in Kozhikode medical college to test samples, health officials in the state said.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 12-year-old boy died of Nipah virus in north Kerala’s Kozhikode on Sunday morning, triggering concerns of a possible outbreak of another deadly virus while the state administration struggles to contain the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic.
State health minister Veena George said all three samples of the boy were found to be positive for Nipah virus by the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune.
The minister said the boy was admitted to a private hospital with high fever a few days ago, and initially he was suspected to be suffering from brain fever but later samples were rushed to the NIV for further testing.
The health minister said boy’s relatives and all those treating him were among the 20 persons put in quarantine after being identified as primary contacts, and 150 others were secondary contacts which were under strict observation.
Two of the 20 people in quarantine, who were in close contact with the deceased, showed symptoms of Nipah and were shifted to Nipah ward opened on Sunday, said the health minister.
Around 17 samples from among the quarantined persons have been sent for testing.
A special control room has been set up in Kozhikode and a high alert has been sounded in neighbouring Malappuram and Kannur districts, health officials said.
The health authorities said they suspect the virus to have spread through bats, as was the case earlier.
A zoonotic ailment sample of bats will be collected for further testing and a temporary lab will be set up in Kozhikode medical college to test samples, they said. A team from NIV Pune will also arrive in the city soon.
Like Coivd-19, isolation and quarantine are the best options to contain Nipah virus but its fatality rate is very high, above 80%, said experts.
They added that since the state was already under heavy alert, they hope to be able to contain the virus quickly this time.
“No need to panic. But high vigil is the need of the hour. I am also leaving for Kozhikode. We have a Nipah protocol and we will go by this,” said the minister in Thrissur.
Two other ministers, A K Saseendran and Mohamad Riyza were camping in the north Kerala city to evaluate the situation and the state government had called a high-level meeting in the afternoon.
A Union health ministry team comprising experts from the National Centre for Disease Control also reached Kozhikode in the afternoon and met the health workers and doctors in the medical college hospital.
The boy died at 5 in the morning.
As precautionary measures, a radius of three kilometres around his house at Mavoor panchayat in Kozhikode district has been sealed, authorities said.
Police is not allowing anyone to leave the cluster and their basic needs will be met by authorities.
President of Chathamangalam panchayat, which falls in the vicinity of the affected zone said the local body will cooperate with health and police officials and had asked residents to remain inside.
In 2018, the deadly virus had claimed 17 lives in Kozhikode but later it was localised and contained effectively.
Amid the spike in Covid-19 cases in Kerala, the state government has said that it will continue with its night curfew and Sunday lockdowns.
Only essential services were allowed in the state as police carried out strict enforcement of lockdown rules.
Earlier, on September 4, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a press conference after holding a meeting to review the state’s Covid-19 situation, confirmed that the state will continue with its night curfew and Sunday lockdowns.