The condition of the 23-year-old engineering student who is infected with the Nipah virus has shown much improvement on Sunday, as two out of his three samples have tested negative.
The samples which had been first tested at the lab of Government Medical College Kalamassery, were sent to National Institute of Virology in Pune for confirmation. In the second phase examination, it was found that two of the three samples are negative while one is positive.
"He is responding to treatment. A medical team constituted by the government is reviewing his condition every day. There are no new confirmed cases in the state,” Ernakulam District Collector K Mohammed Y Safirulla told media persons in the daily briefing on
Seven persons in isolation ward
Meanwhile, one more person who had shown symptoms of the disease is admitted at the Medical College while another person, who had been under surveillance, was discharged on Sunday. Thus, the number of persons under surveillance at the Medical College remains seven.
"The sample result of the new person is also negative; but he is being attended for some viral infections and the others are under observation- they are also being attended for some viral related infection or fever," he said.
The Health department till Saturday had traced 327 people in the contact list of the Nipah confirmed patient. On Sunday, it had become 329. Among these, 52 are in the high priority list.
"It's checked twice in a day to monitor if the 52 people in the high priority list develop any symptoms. They would be contacted through field staff and over phone twice in a day. This will continue till the 21 days of incubation period is over. They haven't shown any symptoms so far," the Collector said.
None of them have developed any symptoms of Nipah. "The situation is under control. But we haven't given up the vigil. Day-to-day monitoring and training will continue. Training in schools and to Kudumbashree workers as well as steps for awareness have been going on and will continue. On Monday, attempts will be made to collect bat samples with the help of Animal Husbandry Department and Forest Department," Safirulla said.