Even as six samples of body fluids sent to the National Virology Institute, Pune, have tested negative for Nipah, one more person has been admitted to the isolation ward of the Government Medical College Hospital at Kalamassery on Thursday with suspected Nipah fever, taking the number of patients in the ward to eight.
Samples of the remaining two patients in the isolation ward were sent for testing to the two virology institutes in Alappuzha and Pune. However, the Nipah-negative patients would be moved from the isolation ward only after they fully recovered, said Minister for Health K.K. Shylaja here.
Two under observation
Two youths who reported at the Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, on Thursday with fever, headache, and with a history of travel to Ernakulam in the past two weeks are currently isolated and under observation at the hospital. The youths are from Kadakkal and Kalliyoor respectively in Thiruvananthapuram district. Though they are not on the list of suspected case, their throat swabs and other samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology, Alappuzha unit. As per the current protocol, they will be under observation for the next 48 hours or till the lab results come. The condition of the 23-year-old Nipah-confirmed student being treated at a private hospital here was stable, she said.
CM reviews activities
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who reviewed the preventive activities, said: ‘‘There is a relief that tests are negative, but we cannot relax. Alert on the disease will continue.’’
Fruit bats have been identified as the primary carriers of the disease. More research had to be done on the transmission of the disease. A meeting of various departments would be convened soon to initiate such research, the Chief Minister said. Various Central and State agencies such as Kerala Agricultural University, the Animal Husbandry Department, Forest Research Institute, National Institute of Epidemiology and others would be involved in a national-level research in finding out how and when fruit bats become agents of transmission of disease.
The Health Minister said the status quo would be maintained with regard to those quarantined for being in direct or indirect contact with the confirmed case till the incubation period was over. The preventive activities would continue in the district till July even if there were no more Nipah cases, she said.
As part of the preventive activities, 30 doctors in the government sector, 250 paramedical staff and 10 ambulance drivers had completed training. In the private sector, 190 doctors were given training.
At the Medical College Hospital where isolation ward has been arranged, 50 doctors, 75 paramedical staff and 30 attenders were provided training. A stand-by team has also been created. Four ambulances have been kept ready to handle emergency situations.
The biomedical waste from the isolation ward is being handled carefully and disposed properly.
Expert teams from various institutions under the Union Ministry, Regional Office of Health and Family Welfare, National Institutes of Virology, National Centre for Disease Control, ICMR-National AIDS Research Institute are conducting field studies which include the affected student’s premises at his residence and college.
Tribal settlements have been given awareness classes too. In the district, 898 families were contacted and made aware of the Nipah infections and prevention mechanisms.
