Nipah virus in Kerala: Testing lab ready in Kozhikode govt hospital, says Health Minister

On Monday, Kerala Health Minister Veena George said that a Nipah virus sample testing lab has been set up at Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital. The announcement comes after six more people in the state developed minor symptoms of the virus. The recent reports have pushed the first case contact list tally to 251 on September 6.

With at least 32 high-risk cases in the state, the Nipah virus community spread is a fresh concern for Kerala, along with rising COVID cases. On September 5, a 12-year-old boy succumbed to the Nipah virus in Kerala's Kozhikode district. Two other health workers who had come in contact with the deceased also displayed symptoms of the virus.

Nipah virus testing facility at Kozhikode

The newly set virus testing facility is expected to speed up the diagnosis and help to curtail the crisis amidst the ongoing pandemic. The temporary set-up in Kozhikode will be headed by a team of specialists from the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. The team will be equipped with all necessary installations to quickly test samples and update the doctors and other concerned authorities about the zoo-tonic virus. However, the samples will be retested before the final declaration.

As many as eight samples have been sent to NIV, Pune and the result is expected by midnight or tomorrow morning. The experts from NIV are leading the team at Kozhikode lab, Veena George said speaking to ANI.

After the 12-year-old boy passed away on Sunday, a team of health officials rushed to his locality to gather samples of Rambutan fruits from the surrounding area in order to determine the source of infection. Additionally, a list of the close contacts with the deceased boy was also prepared to ensure safety from the community's spread of the virus. Following the first Nipah-related death, samples of eight people had been sent to NIV Pune for tests. However, as of September 7, all eight of them tested negative. Earlier today, Health Minister George expressed her relief while disclosing the results during a meeting with the collectorate at Kozhikode.

"Eight samples of parents and health care workers were sent to Pune on Sunday after the boy's death. They had interacted with the boy closely. It is a huge relief to get negative results," George said earlier today.

As per reports, samples of five more from the prime contact list have been forwarded to determine the Nipah infection status. The health minister informed that the samples would be tested at the newly formed sample-testing lab at Kozhikode Government Medical College. "We are awaiting for those five results too," the minister added during the meeting.

Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kannur on high alert

Besides COVID-19, Kerala is on high alert for growing infections of Nipah. A team of specialists from the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) visited the Kozhikode boy's locality after he passed away. The team appraised the locals on the measures that needed to be followed and advised them to alert the authorities on spotting symptoms in persons in their vicinity. Furthermore, the location surrounding the deceased boy's house has been declared a containment zone. Similar precautionary measures have been imposed in surrounding areas of Kozhikode, Malappuram, and Kannur districts.

With inputs from ANI

Image Credit: PIXABAY/ @VeenaGeorge_Facebook (representative)