Thiruvananthapuram: Health Minister Veena George on Wednesday said the state has managed to contain the spread of Nipah virus outbreak as no fresh has been reported in the past four days. However, she cautioned that the threat is not over yet as four patients are undergoing treatment.
“Out of 323 samples, 317 samples have tested negative till date. All people in the high-risk contact list of the index patient have tested negative. All named in the list, including symptomatic and asymptomatic persons, have undergone the test,” said the minister.
At present, 994 people are in the contact list of the patients.
The nine-year-old boy, who was in critical condition earlier, is recovering. He has been taken off oxygen support now, the minister said.
At the same time, the minister pointed out that two clusters of Nipah were formed in Kozhikode. A family cluster and an institutional cluster have been identified, she said.
Among the 11 people who are put in isolation at Kozhikode Govt. Medical College, none of them came in direct contact with any of the patients.
Two people died of Nipah virus infection in the Kozhikode in September. Though the spread of the virus is under control, neither the Indian Council of Medical Research nor the state health department has identified the source of the outbreak.
ICMR team has sent samples of 36 bats, but no virus was found in them, it is learned.
District Medical Officer Dr R Renuka informed that a total of 20 persons received the service of Nipah Control Cell so far. They have also provided counselling to the five persons on the contact list.
“Those named in the contact list are reportedly asymptomatic. The health workers are constantly inquiring about their health condition twice a day over phone calls. Apart from this, the Nipah Control Cell also intensified the surveillance”, Dr Renuka added.
