Nipah virus in Kerala: 251 contacts traced, says Health Minister

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All 24 samples of eight persons sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune have tested negative for Nipah virus, said Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Tuesday.

"All 24 samples of eight persons sent to National Institute of Virology, Pune were found negative (for Nipah virus). We are testing more samples. We have started field surveillance and will begin house-to-house surveillance in containment zones today," she told ANI.

She further informed that the testing lab at Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode will also start testing samples today.

"We can do testing of almost all the people who are in isolation at the hospital today itself," she added.

On Monday, she had said, "The RT-PCR and other samples testing will be done in Kozhikode."

Veena George has been camping in Kozhikode for the past three days since the first case of the Nipah virus this year was reported in the district. A 12-year-old boy died after getting infected by Nipah in Kozhikode.

A total of 251 persons were listed during contact tracing. From these, 129 were health workers and 54 were in the high-risk category. Of the total contacts identified, 11 were symptomatic. Of the 54 high-risk categories, 30 were health workers. These health workers were from one clinic and four hospitals, including MCH, Kozhikode.

Earlier on Sunday, the Central government had rushed a public health team to the Kozhikode district of Kerala as the state reported the first death due to the Nipah virus this year.

To provide technical support to the state, a team of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) was rushed to the state.