Kerala Health Minister Veena George said on Sunday that the test result of a 24-year-old man who died at a private hospital in Malappuram on Saturday was found positive for the Nipah virus. The samples were tested at the National Institute of Virology in Pune.
The Nipah virus was suspected during the death investigation conducted by the medical officer. Available samples with the District Medical Officer were sent to the Kozhikode Medical College immediately for testing. This test result was positive, said the minister. Soon after this, Minister George called an emergency high-level meeting on Saturday. The minister instructed officials to take all the steps as per the protocol. 16 committees were formed yesterday. Apart from this, the samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology.
The 24-year-old who died was a student in Bangalore. So far, 151 people are on the primary contact list. The young man has sought treatment in four private hospitals. Apart from this, he travelled to some places with his friends, said the minister. The information of all of them has been collected, and those who came into direct contact have been sent to isolation. After five people in isolation had developed some mild symptoms, samples were sent for testing.
Efforts are in the final stages to conduct contact tracing and surveillance of all those who are at risk of infection, even though it is rare.
The Minister also informed that the health department has taken measures to detect and treat at the early stage if anyone has been infected and to save lives and to ensure that no one gets infected again, according to a press release from the health minister's office.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from ANI)
