One more Nipah case in Kerala as patient dies at Perinthalmanna hospital

One more Nipah case was reported in the State on Saturday when a 58-year-old man who died at a private hospital at Perinthalmanna in the evening tested positive for the deadly virus in the initial tests.

The man hailing from Kumaramputhur, near Mannarkkad, in Palakkad district was under treatment at the hospital for fever-related ailments. His sample was sent for testing as he reportedly showed symptoms of Nipah, including acute mental disorientation

The initial tests conducted at the virology laboratory at the Government Medical College Hospital, Manjeri, proved positive for Nipah on Saturday night. However, the final confirmation has to come from the National Institute of Virology, Pune.

The fresh Nipah case has come at a time when the health authorities had started relaxing the restrictions imposed in the wake of two Nipah cases reported in Palakkad and Malappuram districts.

Six wards in Thachanattukara and Karimpuzha panchayats in Palakkad district and 20 wards in Kuruva, Makkaraparamba and Mankada panchayats in Malappuram district had been declared containment zones. However, the restrictions were lifted in Malappuram on Thursday and Palakkad on Friday.

Following the new Nipah case at Kumaramputhur, health officials in Palakkad and Malappuram are racing to track down everyone who came into contact with the victim in recent weeks.

On Saturday, 497 people across the State were under observation for Nipah. According to Health Minister Veena George, 203 of them were in Malappuram, 114 in Kozhikode, 178 in Palakkad, and two in Ernakulam.

Ten persons on Nipah contact list in Malappuram were under treatment, with one of them in intensive care unit. As many as 62 samples tested negative in Malappuram. In Palakkad, five persons were under treatment in isolation.