Nipah Outbreak: File Photo
Thiruvananthapuram: The Pune-based National Institute of Virology ascertained that the teenager had succumbed to a Nipah virus infection. At least three of the boy’s relatives are under surveillance at the hospital, and four others who interacted with him are under observation at the Manjeri Government Medical College Hospital in Malappuram, State Health Minister Ms. Veena George said.
She said that those in the high-risk contacted category did not show any symptoms of a Nipah infection. At least seven samples have tested negative. The State Health Minister counseled the public against panic and said that the situation was under control.
Doctors had injected the boy with a monoclonal antibody procured from Australia by the Indian Council of Medical Research, but Ms. George noted that the injection is meant to be administered within five days of the patient showing signs of infection. “In the teenager’s case, the deadline for the infusion of antibodies had passed. Still, the medical board authorized the administration as a desperate life-saving measure,” she added.
The teenager had alerted his parents of his sickness after school on July 10 and his parents admitted him to a private hospital. However, the boy’s condition only worsened. But his relatives shifted him to MCH Kozhikode behind time. The doctors said that, by then, encephalitis had already set in. The body will now be interred as per the Nipah protocol in the boy’s village.
The government has stepped up containment measures in Malappuram, with District Collector V.R. Vinod declaring masks and social distancing mandatory till further notice.
He has closed educational institutions in Pandikkad and Anakkayam panchayats and cinema theatres will also remain shut. Mr. Vinod asked people to avoid social gatherings. Shops within the containment zones must open at 10 a.m. and close at 5 p.m.
District Medical Officer R. Renuka warned people against self-treatment. She advised them to seek medical attention immediately if they develop fever symptoms and also counseled the public not to consume partly eaten fruit leftovers, including those dropped by bats, birds, or animals.
The Union government will deploy a multi-member joint outbreak response team in Malappuram to support the State. The team will help identify epidemiological linkages and provide technical assistance.
