Nipah virus 'alert' in Kozhikode after 2 deaths

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 12 (IANS) Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Tuesday arrived in Kozhikode, where two people have reportedly died after being infected by the Nipah virus.

The Minister rushed to Kozhikode even as the state Assembly is in session.

The National Institute of Virology, Pune, is examining the cause of the deaths and results are awaited.

While addressing reported, George said that Kozhikode is under an alert for the virus and all the protocols are in place and will be enforced when required.

“We are awaiting for the results of five samples to come as initially when a death occurred, it was seen as a natural death due to other causes. But then soon the deceased person’s nine-year-old son got fever and another contact also has been admitted with fever. When the history was traced, the authorities had some doubts. So we are now waiting for the test results to come,” she said ahead of chairing a high-level meeting.

The present suspected case was reported about 15 km from where the initial Nipah virus outbreak in southern India was first identified in Kozhikode in May 2018 and then again in 2021.

Nipah virus infection is basically a zoonotic disease and can be transmitted from animals to humans besides it can spread through contaminated food or through contact.