The Health department has formed 16 core teams to monitor the surveillance and containment steps being taken in Kozhikode district where two persons have died due to Nipah infection in recent days. Two others too tested positive for the virus.
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Health Minister Veena George told the media late on Tuesday that an alert has been sounded in Kozhikode district and it will be extended to nearby districts too.
The department declared the alert in Kozhikode after two persons died of suspected Nipah symptoms on August 30 and September 11. However, body fluid samples of the first person who died could not be sent for laboratory tests. Doctors at a private hospital in the city raised an alarm about possible Nipah infection after one more person who was in contact with the first patient died and the first patient’s relatives sought treatment with similar symptoms. One of the deceased is from Maruthonkara, while the other is from Ayancheri.
Ms. George, who chaired high-level meetings at the Kozhikode Collectorate on Tuesday, said that all the hospitals in Kozhikode would have to abide by strict infection control steps. A control room has been opened and helpline numbers provided. People have been told to avoid hospital visits if not necessary and to wear face masks when they venture out in public.
Meetings were held at Kuttiyadi and Nadapuram since the infected belong to these areas. The local bodies in those areas have been told to take containment steps. An expert panel has been formed to take a call on the containment zones to be declared in the district. As per the protocol, five-km radius of the affected areas will have to be declared containment zones. The director, Health Services, and senior officials are camping in Kozhikode to take stock of the situation.
