“The available samples were immediately sent for analysis and tested positive,” the minister said in a video message.
The 24-year-old man who recently died at a private hospital in Malappuram was infected with the Nipah virus, Kerala Health Minister Veena George said on Sunday.
George said the suspicion of Nipah infection arose after a death investigation conducted by the Regional Medical Officer.
“The available samples were immediately sent for analysis and tested positive,” the minister said in a video message.
The Malappuram native who came to the state from Bengaluru died on September 9, after which his available samples were sent for testing to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital laboratory.
Malappuram health officials said the results from the Kozhikode medical college indicated a positive result, following which the health minister held a high-level meeting on Saturday evening and she initiated the necessary steps as per the protocol.
Meanwhile, the results from the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune on Sunday confirmed the infection.
The minister said 16 committees were formed on Saturday evening and a contact list of 151 people had been identified.
He said the man had travelled with his friends to several places and close contacts had been isolated.
“Fever and mild symptoms were detected in five of those isolated, and samples were sent for analysis,” the minister said.
A child from Malappuram, who was undergoing treatment for Nipah infection, died on July 21. It was the first confirmed case of Nipah infection in the state this year.
Nipah outbreaks have been reported from Kozhikode district in 2018, 2021 and 2023 and from Ernakulam district in 2019, and the presence of Nipah virus antibodies has been detected in bats in Kozhikode, Wayanad, Idukki, Malappuram and Ernakulam districts.
First published: September 15, 2024 | 17:28 IS
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