KOCHI: Days of restrictions for those placed under close monitoring due to their interaction with Nipah-infected patient are finally over. In perhaps the second last step before bidding final farewell to the deadly virus, the State Health Department has removed all those who had been under observation from the direct contact list.
Out of over 330 people on the list, the last 16 were also removed, an official statement said here. Meanwhile, the condition of the 23-year-old youth diagnosed with Nipah and admitted to a private hospital in Ernakulam is satisfactory.
In order to examine his present health condition and also to collect details of his recent history to obtain relevant information if any, Additional District Medical Officer Dr S Sreedevi visited him on Friday.
“The health condition of the youth has significantly improved. As far as we know there are mango and jackfruit trees around his house. Therefore, we cannot be sure what he has eaten exactly. Since he is a lover of mangoes, he had a few of them. We are continuing with our quest to find the origin of Nipah. We are confident that we will find the origin. It is a great achievement that we have tackled Nipah without any death cases,” said Sreedevi.
Meanwhile, the nurse who treated the youth and has been in isolation at his home, was a relieved man.
“Now it is a big relief, I can walk out and interact with people directly. The time spent in the isolation ward at Kalamassery Medical College was the most dreadful. Thank God, things have ended well,” said the nurse. Further, a meeting was held with the doctors of the hospital regarding the medical condition of the patient. According to the District Medical Officer NK Kuttapan, monitoring of all persons placed under surveillance for probable influence of the Nipah virus has been discontinued.
“There are no more suspected cases in the Government Medical College Hospital, Kalamassery. Meanwhile, we are keeping the helpline alive, as a precautionary measure, to keep communication channels open,” said Kuttapan.