An expert committee involving senior medical professionals is expected to decide on the future course of treatment and rehabilitation of the two Nipah-afflicted patients who are on the path of recovery at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode.
Hospital superintendent G. Sajeeth Kumar told the media here on Wednesday that the report of the expert committee would be forwarded to the government, which would take a final call on the issue. Most likely, they would be kept under home surveillance, he said.
Meanwhile, no new deaths or positive cases were reported on Wednesday too. R.L. Saritha, Director, Health Services, said three new cases were admitted to the isolation ward of the hospital with suspected symptoms on Wednesday. A total of nine persons are under observation now. Four others and parents of some of the suspected patients are under surveillance in a separate ward.
Meanwhile, Jaikaran, Deputy Director, National Centre for Disease Control, said he had visited the houses of some of the victims in Kozhikode district and met their relatives. None of them had any symptoms. However, the number of patients at the outpatient ward of some community health centres in the district was found to be very low.
Dr. Jaikaran said there was no need to get panicked while visiting government hospitals and those with seasonal diseases could go there. However, he said that those with an unusual amount of reddishness in their eyes should be careful as one of the victims too were found to have a similar symptom.
22 arrested
District Collector U.V. Jose said 22 persons had been arrested so far in connection with spreading a notice on a fake letter pad claiming to have been released by the Kozhikode District Medical Officer. They belonged to the Nallalam, Nadakkavu, and Feroke areas. Mr. Jose said the source of the message was not clear as yet but the police suspect it to be from Gulf countries.
