THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A BDS student of Thiruvananthapuram Dental College, who ate a fruit bitten by a bat, has been admitted to the isolation ward of the medical college hospital. A tense situation prevailed after the student told the hostel mates about it. The body fluids of the student with high fever have been sent for testing.

Meantime, the state is on high alert after Nipah was confirmed in Kozhikode. A 45-year-old man who died in Maruthonkara two weeks ago and a 40-year-old man who died in Ayancheri Panchayat the other day and two others who are undergoing treatment, have been confirmed with Nipah. The nine-year-old son of the 45-year-old man and his 20-year-old brother-in-law were diagnosed with the disease. The nine-year-old is on ventilator. Seven people are under treatment. There are 168 people in the contact list in the district. 127 of them are health workers.

Following the confirmation of Nipah virus, district collector A Geetha announced wards in seven gram panchayats of Kozhikode as containment zones.

The collector informed that no travel in or out of the areas above the containment zone will be allowed. The collector stated that strict barricading should be done in the said wards and the police and the secretaries of the concerned local government departments should ensure this.