MALAPPURAM: Eleven people, including the parents of the 14-year-old boy who died of Nipah on Sunday, tested negative for the viral infection on Monday. Two people from Thiruvananthapuram, who visited the private hospital in Perinthalmanna on the day the Nipah victim received treatment there, and two hospital staffers, both from Palakkad, are among those who tested negative.
Nine samples were tested at the Virology Lab at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital (MCH), while two were tested at the Advanced Virology Institute in Thonnakkal.
Health Minister Veena George said contact tracing, sample collection and testing will continue to ensure that no infection goes unidentified. “At present, 406 people are on the contact list of the Nipah victim. Of them, 194 people, including 139 healthcare workers, are in the high-risk category. Fifteen people on the contact list are receiving treatment at various hospitals. Those who test negative and recover from symptoms such as fever will be discharged. However, they should continue in isolation as per protocol,” she said. Seven persons had tested negative on Saturday.
Meanwhile, a mobile laboratory of the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, will start functioning at the Manjeri Government MCH on Tuesday to test samples for Nipah. Experts from the NIV visited the MCH on Monday to set up the laboratory which will help the health department in testing more samples.
As part of prevention efforts, strong field-level measures are being implemented under the leadership of the Health Department.
Wild hog plum suspected as source
Healthcare workers have visited 6,642 houses in Pandikkad and Anakkayam grama panchayats to identify people with symptoms of the infection. They have identified 331 fever cases in Pandikkad and 108 fever cases in Anakkayam. Of them, four from Pandikkad have been included in the primary contact list.
Meanwhile, Veena reiterated that chances are high that the 14-year-old boy who died on Sunday contracted the infection after consuming a wild hog plum near his residence.
According to a source, a few days before the boy developed fever, he, along with four of his friends, had gone to a spot (around 2km from his house) and bathed in a canal. He also ate a wild hog plum from there, the source added.
The health minister said the boy’s friends have confirmed that he ate wild hog plum from a tree in the area. “Also, the presence of bats in the area has been confirmed. Preliminary assessments suggest this might be the source of the virus, but further tests are needed for confirmation,” she said.
Veena said the virus strain identified this year is the same as the one detected in 2023.
“Through the tests done earlier, we had confirmed that the Nipah strain found in bats is the same as the one found in humans. So, we are sure that bats are the source of infection. We are trying to identify the presence of the virus in the fruits. Efforts in this regard are underway with the cooperation of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR),” she said. Veena added that though bats are the source, people should not try to kill them or destroy their dwellings as it will lead to bats spreading the infection.
To collect samples from bats, a team of experts from NIV-Pune arrived in the district on Monday. They will visit the Nipah-affected areas and conduct a genomic survey. Another team of experts from the Central Animal Husbandry Department in Bhopal will also arrive in Malappuram for sample collection and study. They will track bats in the area, where the boy was reportedly infected, with the cooperation of the forest department.
Plus-I supplementary allotment
The Plus-I supplementary allotment in Malappuram district was conducted in adherence to the Nipah protocol. Allotment will continue in the coming days under similar restrictions.
The health minister urged strict adherence to wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. “The polytechnic allotment in the district will also be conducted similarly. Pension mustering should not be conducted in Pandikkad and Anakkayam panchayats now. The time for mustering in these places will be extended,” Veena George said.