Kerala Nipah Virus Cases Update; 42 Samples Test Negative | Kozhikode News | Report of 42 people negative; 6 cases found so far, 2 died

The Health Minister said that as per the protocol, we need to be cautious till 42 days after the last case was found. For Nipah virus, 21 days are considered to be circumcised, hence 42 days are considered to be at risk.

No case of Nipah virus has been found in Kerala after two days. State Health Minister Veena George said on September 17 that 6 new cases of Nipah have been found in the state in the last few days. Out of which two people have died. Samples of 42 high-risk people who came in contact with the infected were sent for testing, reports of all have come negative.

He said that reports of some other people are yet to come. All reports are expected by this evening. The 6th case of Nipah was found in the state on September 15.

When the Health Minister was asked that no new case of Nipah has been found in the state, in such a situation how long should people remain cautious. In response, the Health Minister said that as per the protocol, we need to be cautious till 42 days after the last case was found. For Nipah virus, 21 days are considered to be circumcised, hence 42 days are considered to be at risk.

A team from Kozhikode Medical College arrived to collect samples.

213 people in high risk category
Of the people who came in contact with the deceased, 15 were high risk, their samples were sent for testing on September 15. According to the health official, 950 people are included in the contact list of infected people. Of these, 213 people are in high risk category. 287 health officials are also included in the contact list.

Police is also helping in contract tracing
The Health Minister said that the help of the police is being taken to trace the people who came in contact with the people infected with Nipah. Because people who came in contact with the infected people are afraid of getting tested. When called for investigation, they refuse to come. That is why the police is reaching him by tracing his mobile.

He said that the central team will go and conduct a survey in the areas where virus cases were found in 2018. Any ecological change will be searched there. On the other hand, teams from National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) are also surveying the district.

Also read other news related to Nipah virus…
Sixth case of Nipah found in Kerala; ICMR said- mortality rate 40-70%
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said on September 15 that the mortality rate from Nipah virus is 40-70%. This is much higher than the death rate due to coronavirus. The mortality rate from corona is 2-3%. ICMR also said that the reason why Nipah virus spreads in Kerala is not clear. Read the full news…