675 under observation for Nipah in State

Health Minister Veena George said on Tuesday that 675 people across the State were currently under observation for Nipah, with 178 of them being contacts of the latest Nipah victim from Kumaramputhur.

While 210 of those under observation are in Malappuram district, 347 are in Palakkad, 115 in Kozhikode, two in Ernakulam and one in Thrissur. In Malappuram district, 82 samples tested negative for Nipah so far.

As many as 38 people under observation are in the highest-risk category and 139 in high-risk category, said Ms. George.

In Palakkad district, two confirmed Nipah cases have been reported so far. A 58-year-old man from Kumaramputhur died of Nipah when a 38-year-old woman from Thachanattukara is fighting for her life at Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode.

As many as 63 people under observation were given psychological support through telephonic counselling in the district. Health officials said that the district control cell were getting over two dozen calls every day in connection with Nipah control.

A team of experts from National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, collected samples from 160 bats and sent them for examination. The team also visited Kallamala at Agali in Attappady, on Tuesday.