KOZHIKODE: The state’s lone Nipah patient from Kozhikode continues in critical care with doctors at the Medical College Hospital (MCH) administering another dose of monoclonal antibody therapy, Health Minister K Muraleedharan said on Monday.
Meanwhile, Kerala breathed a little easy as no new Nipah cases were detected in the district on the day. Officials also said no one else was added to the patient’s contact list. However, authorities remain on high alert.
Muraleedharan said the patient, who remains on ventilator support, was administered the second dose of the antibody in accordance with the guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
“The second test result of a healthcare worker who was included in the patient’s primary contact list came back negative,” he said, adding that of the seven people under observation at the MCH, two – the patient’s closest relatives – were discharged the day before after their symptoms subsided. Both had earlier tested negative for Nipah infection, he said.
Another close relative in quarantine was admitted to the MCH on June 15 for observation. Samples taken from another healthcare worker who was in the patient’s contact list have been sent for testing. At present, 103 people are under surveillance. Six are under observation at the MCH.
Central team visits pvt hosp
An expert team dispatched to Kerala by the Union government visited the private hospital in Feroke where the patient had initially sought treatment to assess infection-control measures, contact tracing procedures and overall preparedness.
Public health teams continued field surveillance in the affected area. On Sunday, health workers visited 46 more households in Division 5 of Ramanattukara ,unicipality, where the infection was reported.
4 ‘very high-risk’ contacts
As per the health department, four persons in the patient’s contact list have been categorised as very high-risk contacts, while 14 have been classified as high risk. Eight-five are classified as low-risk. There are 45 healthcare workers in the contact list. Health officials continue to closely monitor all contacts for any signs of infection.
