Page 2 - Nipah

ICMR detects Nipah virus presence in bats in Wayanad: Kerala govt

The Kerala government on Wednesday said that the ICMR has informed them about the presence of the Nipah virus in bats in the Wayanad district of the state, but there was no need to panic. State Health Minister Veena George said that the Indian Council of Medical Research gave this information based on its studies of the bat samples collected by it. "ICMR has said that it has found the presence of the virus in bats in Wayanad. It is a continuation of the ecosystem there," she said. The Nipah virus outbreak this year was in Kozhikode district, which neighbours Wayanad, and six persons were infected, of whom two had died. George said there was no need for the public to be afraid or panic as the information was being conveyed only to create awareness and to make people cautious and vigilant. She said that healthcare activities in connection with the virus were being coordinated and training was being provided to healthcare and medical professionals on how to deal with suspected cases

'Early detection, effective treatment helped control Nipah mortality rate'

Kerala Health Minister Veena George has said that the effective and timely intervention of the state health system brought down the Nipah fatality rate to 33 per cent in its fourth outbreak. She made the statement in the wake of all four Nipah-infected persons recovering from the zoonotic illness. The government on Friday announced that a nine-year-old boy, who was among those under treatment for Nipah in Kozhikode, had recovered. The virus strain seen in Kerala was the Bangladesh variant, which generally has a high mortality rate, George said in a Facebook post on Friday night. This variant can cause death among 70-90 per cent of the infected people. "However, we have lost the lives of two out of the total six affected persons in Kozhikode, which means we have a relatively low death rate of 33.3 per cent," the minister said. The relatively early identification of patients and treatment using antiviral drugs may be the reasons for the low mortality rate, she said. Another signifi

Kerala govt withdraws Nipah related restrictions in northern Kozhikode

The Kerala government has withdrawn containment in all zones and allied restrictions imposed in northern Kozhikode district as no new cases of Nipah virus have been reported here since September 16. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, District Collector A Geetha said all schools located in the areas that fell within containment zones would be opened and regular classes would commence on Wednesday. However, the collector urged people to continue their vigil against the virus infection, maintain social distancing and ensure the use of masks and sanitizer. All the institutions in the district had been closed since September 14, and online classes were being held after the virus outbreak was declared in the state on September 12. The district administration advised students to wear masks and carry hand sanitizers when going to their respective educational institutions. A total of six people were confirmed to have been infected by the virus till date, and of them, two died. Of the two deat

Nipah virus: Educational institutions to function normally in Kozhikode

The district administration advised students to wear masks and carry hand sanitizers when going to their respective educational institutions

Kerala to conduct surveillance study on Nipah virus: CM Pinarayi Vijayan

The Kerala government has decided to conduct a surveillance study on Nipah virus and directed its Health Department to prepare a detailed report on it, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday

Nipah outbreak under control but threat is not over yet, says Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday the Nipah outbreak reported from Kozhikode district is under control but the threat of the infectious disease is not over yet. He said that at present, it is not possible to rule out the chance of a second wave of the Nipah outbreak. "It cannot be said that the threat of Nipah is completely over," the Chief Minister told a press conference here. Vijayan said the state health system could effectively prevent the spread of the deadly virus. "The health system is working cautiously. Early detection of the virus averted a dangerous situation," he said. Narrating the steps taken by the government to check the prevention of the disease, Vijayan said currently 994 people are under surveillance. Samples of 304 people were collected, and of this, the test results of 267 people have been received, he added. He said six people tested positive and nine people are under observation at Kozhikode Medical College. The Chief Minister said e

Nipah situation is totally under control in Kerala: Minister Veena George

The situation regarding the latest Nipah outbreak in Kerala is completely under control, and more than 200 samples from the high-risk contacts were tested negative, Kerala Health Minister Veena George said here on Monday. In an interview with PTI, the minister said so far 1,233 contacts have been traced and categorised into high-risk and low-risk contacts. "A very positive thing is that all four patients under treatment are now stable, and the condition of the nine-year-old boy, who was on ventilator support, is improving clinically. He is now out of ventilator support and is being given minimal oxygen support," George said. A round-the-clock control room and 19 teams on the field have helped in the strict implementation of the protocol, bringing things under control, she said. "So far, we have six positive cases, and all the samples tested for the last three days were negative," the minister said. The Central teams who have been working with the Kerala health department have ...

Nipah virus update: No positive cases since Sept 16, says Kerala govt

The total number of Nipah infections confirmed in the state is six, of which two persons have died, and four persons are being treated

Centre, ICMR in talks with Serum Institute of India over Nipah antibody

Kerala has so far confirmed a total of six cases of Nipah infection since the latest outbreak in the Kozhikode district

19 teams working in field to trace contacts of Nipah virus patients

Minister Veena George began by highlighting the extensive efforts made to trace and identify individuals who may have come in contact with the infected individuals

No new positive cases of Nipah, results of 51 samples awaited: Kerala govt

In a relief for the Kerala government, no fresh positive cases of Nipah virus were reported on Saturday in the state even as five more persons, who came into contact with those infected, showing some symptoms of the disease were admitted in isolation at the medical hospital here. Kerala Health Minister Veena George, at a press briefing in the evening, said that in a relief for the state, no fresh positive cases were reported during the day. However, results of 51 samples sent for testing were awaited, she said. The minister also said five more persons, who had come into contact with the infected persons, were admitted in the hospital, after showing symptoms of Nipah infection. "Their samples have also been sent for testing," she said. At present, six cases of Nipah infection have been confirmed in the state. Of the six, two persons have died bringing the number of active cases to 4. The minister said the number of people who were suspected of coming into contact with those infec

Kerala govt working to identify area, patient zero of Nipah virus outbreak

After identifying the man who was the patient zero or index case of the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala, the state government on Saturday began looking for the source and place from where he got infected by seeking details of his mobile tower locations. Kerala Health Minister Veena George said while the state government was trying to determine where and how the man got infected, the central team was collecting bat samples to ascertain the viral load. She also claimed that the state's efforts to combat the virus outbreak were appreciated by the central team. The government was also focusing on completing contact tracing in respect of the sixth person who was confirmed, on Friday, to have been infected by the virus, the minister told reporters here. She also said that there were no new positive cases and in a relief for the state, 94 samples -- of persons from the high-risk contact list -- have come back negative for the virus. Meanwhile, 21 people at the Kozhikode medical college an

Nipah virus update: Schools, colleges shut in Kozhikode till Sept 17

The Kerala Health Department issued a health alert after two 'unnatural' deaths because of fever were reported at a private hospital in the Kozhikode district amid rising cases of Nipah virus

Nipah virus: One more confirmed case in Kerala; total tally rises to 6

The administration has created containment zones in a 5 km radius of the homes of the two men who died of infection on August 30 and September 11

Kerala confirms one more Nipah virus case; total tally stands at 6

The state government has strengthened measures to prevent the spread of the infection

Experimental antiviral against Nipah, BSL-3 lab reach Kerala: State govt

In the wake of the Nipah outbreak in Kozhikode district of Kerala, due to which two people lost their lives and three others have tested positive for the virus, the only available experimental treatment -- monoclonal antibody -- was delivered to the state by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Thursday. After the monoclonal antibody arrived in Kerala, State Health Minister Veena George said that the stability of the antiviral was discussed with a central expert committee. "Further steps or course of action would be decided by the expert committee," she said. George also told reporters that, earlier in the day, there was a meeting between the Principal Secretary of the Health Department and the Union Health Ministry. The m102.4 monoclonal antibody, an experimental therapeutic, was imported for the treatment of infected patients on compassionate grounds during the 2018 Nipah outbreak in Kozhikode. It was not used back then as, by the time it arrived, the outbreak had ...

Nipah situation not as scary as was in 2018: Kerala's ex-Health Minister

Former Health Minister and senior ruling CPI(M) MLA K K Shailaja says Kerala has nothing to worry about the Nipah outbreak in Kozhikode as the situation is not as scary as it was in 2018. Shailaja, who had won accolades for containing the Nipah infection effectively in 2018, said the southern state has a protocol and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to effectively fight the infection and prevent its spread. She was the Health minister in the previous LDF government, which fought the first Nipah outbreak in the state. "In 2018, it was a new virus to us, and we did not have any experience battling such an infection. Now, we have everything in place to contain it effectively," Shailaja told reporters here. She said Nipah testing facilities have been established in the state but the declaration of virus infection can only be made by the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. "We have the facility. We tried it out during the first bout in 2018 at Kozhikode. But the declaration c

Nipah cast shadow on Kerala's tourism industry during peak season

To contain the outbreak, the government has declared seven village panchayats in Kozhikode district as containment zones

Nipah patients' contact list grows to 350, 50% high-risk category: Official

Earlier, on Tuesday, the state Health department issued an alert for Kannur, Wayanad and Malappuram districts after the confirmatin of Nipah infection in Kozhikode

Kerala on alert after 2 suspected Nipah deaths in Kozhikode district

The state experienced its first outbreak in June 2018 in the Kozhikode and Malappuram districts, claiming 17 lives