Kozhikode: Health Minister Veena George on Wednesday said that 16 more samples that were tested for the Nipah virus have yielded negative results.
The minister said that there are 62 persons in isolation, of whom 12 are symptomatic.
Besides, there are 47 persons on the contact list from other districts. They have been asked to maintain a strict quarantine. “Those who test negative will be kept in observation at hospitals and asked to be in quarantine for three more days,” said the minister.
Meanwhile, Veena George has ruled out the possibility of any previous case of Nipah going unreported in the locality where the recent case has been found.
“No unnatural deaths have been reported from the region in recent times,” she said.
House surveillance nearly complete
Except for certain regions in Mavoor in the district, the house-to-house surveillance conducted by the health department has been completed, said Veena George.
“So far,27,536 persons from 4,995 houses have undergone the survey,” said the health minister.
“Of them, 44 persons showed symptoms such as fever and headache. However, no one has been included in the contact list from the house-to-house surveillance.”
Covid vaccination to resume
The COVID-19 vaccination that was stopped in the Kozhikode Taluk in the wake of the reporting of the Nipah case will resume from Thursday.
“Vaccination in the Taluk had been stopped for 48 hours. From tomorrow, in places that are no containment zones (Nipah) will have COVID vaccination. However, people should refrain from crowding and go to their respective PHCs only,” said the minister.
Samples taken from bats
The minister added that five samples have been collected from fruit bats in the region. “It will be sent to NIV, Pune for source identification,” said Veena George.
The minister added that surveillance of other animal species in the region will also continue.
A special team from the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, is expected to reach Kozhikode on Thursday.