Another suspected Nipah case reported in Malappuram; 68-year-old patient admitted to Kozhikode medical college

MALAPPURAM: In a concerning development, one more person has been admitted to hospital with Nipah symptoms in Malappuram district. A 68-year-old man was admitted to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital on Sunday noon after getting preliminary treatment from Manjeri Medical College. The patient has been shifted to an isolation ward.

Adding more worry is the report that the 68-year-old man had no direct contact with the 14-year-old child, who died of Nipah in Kozhikode on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the health department said that the 14-year-old patient, who died today due to Nipah had a heart attack moments before administering the antibody. Antibody medicine from Australia and vaccine from Pune had arrived at Kozhikode Medical College. The boy suffered a heart attack at 10:50 am on Sunday. Minister Veena George informed that a decision will be taken in consultation with the family regarding the child's funeral.

In addition to the testing systems at the Regional Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory of Kozhikode Medical College and the Thonnakkal Institute of Advanced Virology, a mobile lab of the Pune National Institute of Virology will also be available to speed up the tests in Kozhikode.

Special fever clinics will be started in Wandoor, Nilambur and Karuvarakundu as part of preventive measures. The minister also stated that house-to-house fever surveillance will be conducted in 16,711 houses in Pandikkad panchayat and 16,248 houses in Anakkayam panchayat.