About a week after a 23-year-old engineering student who is an Ernakulam resident, was confirmed with Nipah, officials have informed that his condition is becoming better with each day. On Monday, the patient was able to walk on his own without any help, said Ernakulam district Collector K Mohammed Y Safirulla. 

The student is presently under treatment at a private hospital in Kochi. 

Most importantly, the Collector added that nobody in the contact list of the student has shown any symptoms of fever. Presently, seven Nipah suspects are isolated at Kalamassery Medical College. About 329 people are totally included in the contact list.

The officials on Monday sent five samples to do confirmation test for Nipah. It includes one sample from Idukki district hospital, Thrissur Medical College and samples from patients who are in Kalamassery Medical College. 

Meanwhile, the officials conducted trial run of the isolation ward that is set up in Kalamassery Medical College. The new isolation ward can accommodate about 30 persons at the same time. Trial run was conducted to check the procedures that should be done from the moment a patient arrives in an ambulance, to the time when the patient is submitted.

The team of experts from National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune has started collecting samples from fruit bats. So far, samples from about 52 fruit bats have been collected from around Thodupuzha and Muttom. Samples were collected from here as the student's college was located there. These samples will be sent to NIV in Pune. 

Officials have also planned to collect samples from bats in Aluva and Paravur. The samples are collected in order to find out the source of the infection.

The district administration has also planned to start some unique programmes as part of creating awareness among the people on Nipah. Awareness classes will be conducted for school students across the state on Wednesday. A poster designing contest will also be held for students on the same day.