Respite for Kerala as Samples of Nipah Victim’s 8 High-Risk Contacts Test Negative, 48 Under Scanner

In a relief for Kerala, samples of eight “high-risk” contacts of the 12-year-old boy who succumbed to Nipah have tested negative for the zoonotic disease.

The samples, which were sent to NIV Pune, included those of the boy’s symptomatic parents and health workers who were in direct contact with him, state Health Minister Veena George said.

“Sample testing at Kozhikode Medical College lab under NIV, Pune, and Alappuzha team supervision has begun. Five more samples are being tested on Tuesday morning at Kozhikode,” George said.

Giving details, the minister said 48 high-risk contacts are admitted at Kozhikode Medical College of which 31 are from Kozhikode, four from Wayanad, eight from Malappuram and one from Palakkad.

All high-risk sample testing contact for Nipah is likely to be over on Tuesday.

On Sunday, a 12-year-boy died hours after testing positive for Nipah. The central team, which was sent to Kerala to support the state in public health measures, visited the house of the boy who died of the virus. The team also collected the samples of Rambutan fruits from the nearby vicinity, as the family had suspected that the boy was infected with the virus after consuming the fruit.

The child developed fever on August 27 and was first admitted to a local clinic. Later, he was taken to a private hospital from where he was brought to the Medical College Hospital. However, he was shifted to another private hospital afterwards but died at 5 AM on Sunday. The Health department has published the route map of the deceased child detailing the time and location where he had been since August 27. The government has also asked the public to approach the Health department in case of any symptoms related to Nipah.

The Nipah virus is a zoonotic disease that is naturally transmitted from vertebrate animals to humans, while human-to-human transmission has also been documented. First identified among pig farmers in Malaysia, the disease also surfaced in Siliguri, West Bengal, in 2001 and again in 2007. Historically, the virus had largely remained in a cluster, meaning it was mostly confined to an area, and affected those that came in close contact to the patients, the experts said.

The WHO notes “Infected people initially develop symptoms including fever, headaches, myalgia (muscle pain), vomiting and sore throat. This can be followed by dizziness, drowsiness, altered consciousness and neurological signs that indicate acute encephalitis. Some people can also experience atypical pneumonia and severe respiratory problems, including acute respiratory distress. Encephalitis and seizures occur in severe cases, progressing to coma within 24 to 48 hours.”

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