The condition of all four active Nipah patients in Kerala are stable, said Health Minister Veena George on September 16, Saturday. Patients are being treated at two private hospitals and the Medical College Hospital (MCH) in Kozhikode. “The nine-year-old boy is still in the ventilator, but doctors have said his condition is getting better. A total of 21 people are currently in isolation at the KMCH, while two children have been isolated at the Institute of Maternal and Child Health,” she told reporters in Kozhikode.

Veena said medical boards have been constituted in all hospitals where patients are under treatment. “Efforts are being made to find the source of the virus in the index case, which was the person who died on August 30. He had been showing symptoms since August 22. So we have collected the mobile tower locations of the person and begun a parallel investigation with the help of police to identify the source of the virus,” she said.

The minister also said core committee meetings to tackle the Nipah situation are being held every day. “We are testing all those who fall under the high risk category, which comprises those who had primary contact with the patients. Many samples have already been sent for testing, of which 11 have been confirmed to be negative,” she said.

“We have a full fledged protocol in place to be followed during the treatment, isolation, and discharge of Nipah patients. Samples are being extensively collected and those who test positive will be screened once more,” the minister added.