In a huge relief to Kerala’s healthcare system, which is lately dealing with Nipah virus infections even as it is grappling with a high number of COVID-19 cases, the eight samples sent for Nipah testing to the National Institute of Virology, Pune came back negative. This was announced by Health Minister Veena George in a press meet in Kozhikode on Tuesday, September 7. Kerala reported Nipah virus infections for the third time, and a 12-year-old boy from Kozhikode district succumbed to the virus on Sunday, September 5.
“A total of 24 samples were sent, three each of eight persons, and all the samples came back negative. This is a relief, the samples of the parents of the boy who died and health workers who were symptomatic also tested negative,” Minister Veena added. Two health workers, one from the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital and another from a private hospital where the boy had undergone treatment, had been found symptomatic.
The Health Department has traced over 250 people who were in the contact list of the boy and those in the high-risk group among them were shifted to the newly opened Nipah ward at the Kozhikode medical college. The ward was set up on Sunday. However, the Health Department is yet to trace the source of the infection.
Meanwhile, a testing lab for confirming Nipah, which was announced by the Minister on Sunday, has started functioning at the Kozhikode medical college. Till now, the state did not have a testing facility for Nipah confirmation, with even the Institute of Advanced Virology in Thiruvananthapuram not doing the test. The testing lab at the Kozhikode medical college has been set up in coordination with NIV, Pune and NIV’s centre in Alappuzha district.
“The lab started functioning on September 6, Monday night and five samples are being tested there,” the Minister said. The samples are those of the contacts of the child. The results are expected on Tuesday.
Kerala continues to report a high number of COVID-19 cases. On Monday, the state reported 19,688 cases with a Test Positivity Rate of 16.71%.