KOZHIKODE: Twenty-four hours after confirming Nipah virus in Kozhikode, 63 more have been added to the primary contact list taking the total to 251. Six more persons, including the mother of the 12-year old boy who had died on Sunday due to Nipah, have developed minor symptom.
Among the contacts, 32 are classified as high-risk and have been shifted to the Nipah block of Kozhikode medical college hospital (KMCH).
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"The samples of all eight persons who had developed symptoms till now are sent to National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune. We are waiting for the result. The focus is on two things: tracking the source of the infection and keeping a close tab on the contacts," state health minister Veena George said on Monday.
Meanwhile, the animal husbandry and forest departments had been roped in to source tracing at Pazhoor in Chathamangalam, the native place of the deceased. The area has fruit bats and wild boars hence its samples need to be collected and send for testing. Animal husbandry personnel had collected samples from two goats, which are reared at the house of the boy.
A team from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has arrived at Chathamangalam.
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