PALAKKAD: The Nipah virus threat in the district has escalated significantly with the confirmation of two primary cases - a development that health officials describe as “very rare” and “a cause for concern”.
One of the infected individuals, a 39-year-old woman from Kizhakkumpuram in Thachanattukara, remains under critical care at Kozhikode Medical College since July 4, while another patient, a 58-year-old man from Changaleeri in Kumaramputhur already succumbed to the virus on Saturday night. Authorities had sent samples from the deceased patient’s son after he began exhibiting suspected symptoms on Sunday.
The initial tests conducted on the 32-year-old at Malappuram Medical College turned positive for Nipah. However, the samples were subsequently sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune, where his latest test results have come back negative, according to a senior health department official. An official confirmation will be issued only after the Medical Board receives final verification from NIV Pune that all samples have tested negative.
Meanwhile, Kumaramputhur grama panchayat president Rajan Ambadath told TNIE that both the District Collector’s Office and the District Medical Officer (DMO) had informed him that the 32-year-old youth had tested positive for Nipah.
“They informed us about the test result and said they are in the process of preparing the patient’s route map,” he said.
“We have also requested additional police deployment, as several people, including government employees, are still commuting for work from the containment zone,” he said. He also expressed concern over the lack of timely communication from authorities, stating that the local body is not being kept adequately informed.
Two unrelated primary cases being closely monitored
The emergence of two unrelated primary cases, rather than a single transmission chain, is being closely monitored by health authorities as it could point to a more complex and widespread threat, according to sources from the district administration.
“When it comes to human-to-human transmission, two primary cases are relatively easier to manage and trace, as their contacts can be identified more directly. However, if the infection spreads from a single individual to many others, contact tracing becomes significantly more challenging,” said Anish T S, Nodal Officer, Kerala One Health Centre for Nipah Research and Resilience, while talking to TNIE.
“At the same time, the presence of two unrelated primary cases cannot be dismissed as a mere coincidence. It raises serious concerns about the source of the infection. There’s a need for a thorough investigation into the local bat population to determine if a wider outbreak among bats is occurring, and to understand the mechanism of the virus spill-over to humans. The NIV team is already there to carry out the bat study,” the nodal officer added.