Kerala CM Vijayan condoles death of boy infected with Nipah virus

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday expressed condolences over the death of the 14-year-old boy who succumbed to Nipah in Malappuram.

Vijayan said all efforts were made to save the teenager.

State Health Minister Veena George informed that the 14-year-old boy from Kerala's Malappuram, who was under treatment at Kozhikode medical college for Nipah infection, died on Sunday.

George said the boy from Pandikkad suffered a massive cardiac arrest at 10.50 am on Sunday and efforts to revive him failed.

"He was on a ventilator and was not conscious. The urine output had reduced this morning. After the massive cardiac arrest, the revival efforts failed and he passed away at 11.30 am," she said.

The chief minister, in a statement, exhorted everyone to work together to combat the Nipah virus and implored citizens not to destroy the natural habitats of bats.

He also cautioned people against eating fruits half bitten by animals and those found abandoned, besides avoiding the honey found in plantain trees. In case of any contact with bats, their excreta or anything they may have bitten, wash hands with soap or use sanitizer. Contact the Nipah control room for clarification if any, he informed.

The health minister said currently there are three people under isolation at Kozhikode medical college where the deceased boy was undergoing treatment.

"At Manjeri Medical college, four high-risk category people are admitted, out of which one person is in ICU," the minister said, adding that the results of their samples will be out today itself.

The minister said the boy went to school on May 11 and till now there are not many cases of patients with symptoms.

Earlier in the day, George had informed that there were a total of 246 people in the contact list of the boy out of which 63 were under the high-risk category.

"We will be testing all under the high-risk category but initially those with symptoms will be tested. We have labs in the state and a mobile lab from the Pune NIV is arriving in the state," she said.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition, V D Satheesan termed the death as unfortunate and said the government failed to address the issue of deterioration of public health in Kerala.

"It was unfortunate that a boy lost his life due to Nipah. This shows that infectious and communicable diseases are still prevalent in the state.

"The opposition had raised the issue of the spread of epidemics and the deterioration of public health in the state Assembly, but the government has failed to address it," Satheesan said.

He claimed that the primary reason for Kerala's public health crisis is the halt in waste removal.

The state is suffering from a lack of pre-monsoon cleaning, he said.

"The government does not have any data on any disease. We had COVID-19, cholera, shigella, hepatitis and now Nipah. Action should be taken to prevent the spread of deadly diseases by coordinating all departments urgently.

"We are not trying to blame the government. The government should take action. Everyone should follow the instructions of the health department," Satheesan said.

He said the UDF will organise a health conclave to discuss the issues faced by the public health in the state.

The state government had announced recently that a special action calendar was being prepared for the prevention of a Nipah outbreak, which has haunted the state on four occasions in the past.

Nipah outbreaks have been reported in Kozhikode district in 2018, 2021 and 2023 and in Ernakulam district in 2019, and the presence of Nipah virus antibodies had been detected in bats in Kozhikode, Wayanad, Idukki, Malappuram and Ernakulam districts.