Initially taken aback by the three deaths caused by the sudden outbreak of an unheard-of infection, the Health Department is now all geared up to contain the spread of the Nipah virus in the State. Health Minister K.K. Shylaja on Tuesday summed up the mood: “What happened was unexpected. We need to contain it and at least minimise the number of deaths.”
A senior health official told The Hindu that the efforts now would be to keep under observation those who had been in contact with the deceased and ensure proper treatment for those admitted to various hospitals with similar symptoms. A team from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Tuesday visited the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode. They held parleys with the authorities about the protocol of treatment that should be followed. P. Raveendran, Naveen Gupta, Saptarshi Bhattacharya, and Rama Sahay are on the team.
Health officials and the Minister continue to maintain that there is no reason to panic as the infection has not spread among the community. Right now it had been confined to members of a family, who were the initial victims; those who were related to them; people who attended the cremation ceremonies; patients who were in the same ward when the deceased were undergoing treatment; and the health personnel who were on duty.
Tracing the source
Also, efforts are on to trace the source of the outbreak in Sooppikkada village in Changaroth grama panchayat near Perambra in Kozhikode district. Virology experts and officials from the National Centre for Disease Control, led by its Director Sujeet K. Singh, visited Perambra. The help of experts of the Animal Husbandry Department had been sought to understand the exact cycle of infection. As three of the deceased are from Malappuram, a mechanism has been put in place there too.
It is learnt that the initial attempt of the government mechanism was to comprehend the gravity of the situation as three members of a family from Kozhikode died mysteriously within a span of a fortnight between May 5 and May 19. Though the cause of death was earlier suspected to be Kyasanur Forest Disease or Japanese encephalitis, the lab results of the blood and body fluid samples of one of the deceased later proved that it was caused by Nipah virus. By the time the confirmation came, more deaths had occurred, most of who were unrelated to the initial victims, though they had been in direct contact with them one way or the other.
Central agencies and private hospitals and various organisations have offered assistance, both to create awareness and ensure better facilities for treatment.
