Nipah death in Malappuram: 24-year-old sought treatment at four hospitals; contact list may go up

MALAPPURAM: It is reported that the 24-year-old man who died of Nipah in Malappuram has sought treatment at four private hospitals.

Minister Veena George said that the primary contact list of the 24-year-old student in Bengaluru has been prepared and preventive measures have been intensified. So far, 151 people are on the contact list. The minister said the youth had travelled to some places with his friends and the details of all of them have been collected and those who came in direct contact have been shifted to isolation.

"The samples have been sent for testing after five people in isolation showed some mild symptoms. There is no need to worry. The measure to quarantine all those at risk of infection by conducting contact tracing is in the final stages. The health department has taken steps to save lives by detecting and treating anyone who has contracted the infection early on and to ensure that no one gets infected," the minister said.

The minister said the Nipah virus was suspected in the death investigation conducted by the medical officer after it was found that the youth, who died at a private hospital, had exhibited symptoms of encephalitis. The samples, which were available through the district medical officer, were immediately sent to Kozhikode Medical College. The result of this test was positive. As soon as this information was out, an emergency high-level meeting was convened under the chairmanship of the Health Minister last night itself. The minister directed to take all steps as per protocol. 16 committees were formed yesterday itself. The samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune for official confirmation. Nipah was officially confirmed after their report, the health minister clarified.