7-YEAR-OLD WEST NILE VIRUS PATIENT DIES, KERALA ON ALERT

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A sevenyear-old boy in Kerala’s Malappuram district, who had tested positive for West Nile Virus, died in Kozhikode Medical College Hospital on Monday, hospital sources said.

While no other case has been reported so far, authorities issued high alert in the north Malabar region after Mohamad Shan died.

West Nile Virus is a disease which spreads from birds to humans with the bite of an infected Culex mosquito. The symptoms include cold, fever, bodyache, fatigue and nausea, with complications leading to meningitis and sometimes death.

Kerala health minister K K Shylaja said there was no need to panic as the seven-year-old was kept in an isolation ward for 10 days. “We are on high alert and going by the protocol of the World Health Organization,” Shylaja said, adding that the state was in constant touch with the Union health ministry.

The boy, hailing from neighbouring Malappuram district, was admitted to the intensive care unit of the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital here one week ago after he tested positive for the virus.

Shylaja said she had asked the director of health services to immediately intensify steps to prevent the spread of the virus, who convened a high-level meeting on Monday. All hospitals have been alerted and private hospitals have also been told to make arrangements for isolation wards and safety kits.