KOCHI: Ruling out reports the death of a nursing assistant, V Sudha, of Kozhikode Medical College was due to Nipah Virus (NiV), Health Minister K K Shailaja said NiV was not confirmed in her. According to the minister, Sudha was admitted to the hospital with symptoms of viral encephalitis.
The minister also added the Health Department had made no dereliction in the preparation of the fatality rate due to NiV.
“Based on the laboratory result, NiV was confirmed in 18 people and of this 16 succumbed and two survived. In the case of Sudha, NiV was not confirmed in her,” said Shailaja in the Assembly on Wednesday.
Earlier, the Health Department faced brickbats over the alleged mix-up in the preparation of NiV fatality rate, after the articles in The Journal of Infectious Diseases (TJID) and British medical journal (BMJ) Global Health, co-authored by Health Secretary Rajeev Sadanandan, listed the fatality rate as 21.