Nipah surveillance: 33 removed from contact list in Kerala as 648 remain under watch

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], July 18 (ANI): A total of 648 people are currently on the Nipah virus contact list across several districts in Kerala, as per a statement from the office of State Health Minister Veena George.
Of the total, 421 are from Palakkad, 110 from Malappuram, 115 from Kozhikode, and one each from Ernakulam and Thrissur districts. This also includes 17 people who remain in isolation in Palakkad.
In Malappuram, 13 people are currently under isolation. The district has so far reported 97 sample tests, all of which have returned negative.
Notably, 21 people from Malappuram and 12 from Palakkad have completed their isolation period and have been removed from the contact list, the statement read.
Across the state, 30 people are under the "highest risk surveillance" category, while 97 others have been identified as part of the high-risk group, it added.
Meanwhile, Health Minister George has also directed the One Health Centre for Nipah Research to document all matters related to the outbreak. Notably, an ICMR team visited Malappuram to assess the situation.
On July 14, Kerala's Palakkad district reported a second Nipah case after a 58-year-old man from Kumaramputhur near Mannarkkad tested positive for the virus following his demise at a private hospital in Perinthalmanna.
According to officials, field-level activities have been intensified in the area. Fever surveillance is also continuing. Further monitoring will be carried out, including the mobile tower location. The minister also directed the team to be strengthened in case another case is found.
Ten people are currently under treatment in Malappuram, of whom two are in intensive care. The state has now categorised 36 individuals as being in the highest-risk group and 128 under high-risk monitoring.
An alert has also been issued to hospitals in 6 districts in the wake of the second Nipah case.
A special alert has been issued to hospitals in Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur, Wayanad and Thrissur districts along with directions to report any case of fever or encephalitis with Nipah symptoms. (ANI)