Nipah virus in Keralam: Patient on ventilator; 77 contacts under observation

Thiruvananthapuram: Keralam has reported a Nipah virus case, with the patient currently on ventilator support, Health Minister K. Muraleedharan said Thursday.

The Minister said preliminary results were positive, though confirmation from the Virology Institute is awaited.

"The results are positive. Test results from the Virology Institute are awaited," Muraleedharan told reporters.

According to the Minister, the patient was first admitted to Crescent Hospital in Calicut with a high fever before moving to another hospital. The hospital suspected Nipah after the fever persisted.

"The patient was first admitted with high fever in Crescent Hospital, Calicut. Later, he went to another hospital. As he ran a fever continuously, the hospital suspected it to be a case of Nipah virus. At present, the patient is on a ventilator. He came in contact with 77 persons, including 58 health workers, 14 members of his family and 5 friends. There are no symptoms of disease in the people he came in contact with," the minister said.

The Minister urged caution during the May-September period, considered high risk for Nipah transmission. (ANI)

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