Kerala Intensifies Nipah Containment: 485 Monitored Amid Rising Precautions

On Tuesday, Kerala's Health Minister Veena George announced that 485 individuals are currently being monitored on the Nipah virus contact list as the state intensifies containment efforts across its districts. The official figures from the Health Department reveal that Malappuram district has the highest number of contacts under observation at 192, followed closely by Palakkad with 176, Kozhikode with 114, Ernakulam with 2, and Kannur with 1.

In Malappuram, 18 people are receiving medical treatment, including one patient in the Intensive Care Unit. Testing efforts have yielded 42 negative Nipah virus results from the district so far. Meanwhile, three individuals in Palakkad are isolated, with seven samples returning negative results as per the latest state-released data. Across Kerala, 26 individuals have been categorized as the highest risk and are under stringent monitoring, while 117 are in the high-risk category under close scrutiny. A confirmed Nipah patient from Palakkad is currently under ICU care in Kozhikode.

A high-level meeting took place involving senior health officials, including the Additional Chief Secretary of the Health Department, NHM State Mission Director, Directors of Health Services and Medical Education, along with District Collectors and Medical Officers, to assess the ongoing situation. Earlier, Minister George led a review session at the Malappuram Collectorate Conference Hall regarding further measures to prevent the Nipah virus spread.

(With inputs from agencies.)