Nipah alert: 20 wards declared containment zones, 345 individuals on contact list

MALAPPURAM: Following the recent confirmation of Nipah virus in Kerala, 20 wards in Malappuram district have been declared containment zones. The affected wards are spread across the panchayats of Makkaraparamba, Koottilangadi, Kuruva, and Mankada. They are:

Makkaraparamba: Wards 1 to 13
Koottilangadi: Wards 11 and 15
Mankada: Ward 14
Kuruva: Wards 2, 3, 5, and 6

As of now, 345 individuals are on the Nipah virus contact list in Kerala. This includes 211 people in Malappuram, 91 in Palakkad and 43 in Kozhikode (all of whom are healthcare workers). Suspected Nipah infections have been reported in Malappuram and Palakkad districts.

After Nipah was detected in preliminary tests conducted at the Malappuram and Kozhikode medical colleges, samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for confirmation. One patient undergoing treatment in Palakkad tested positive for Nipah, and her route map has been published.

Even before official confirmation, preventive measures were reinforced according to protocol. Alert advisories have been issued for Kozhikode, Malappuram, and Palakkad districts in connection with the two confirmed cases.

The symptoms in both confirmed Nipah patients began appearing on the 25th and 26th of last month. Data from these regions will be collected starting three weeks prior to the symptom onset. It will also be investigated whether any deaths from encephalitis or pneumonia occurred in these areas during that period.