Nipah outbreak: Schools, colleges shut in Kerala’s Kozhikode for two days

The announcement was made by Kozhikode District Collector, A Geetha, in a Facebook post. She also said that the schools can also arrange online classes for students on two days. She also made it clear that there will be no change in university exams schedule. 

Also Read: Mint Explainer: Nipah virus returns to Kerala. What you need to know?

Kerala’s fifth Nipah virus case raises alarm

The state government raised its guards after Kerala reported fifth case of Nipah virus on Wednesday. A 24-year-old health worker became the state’s fifth confirmed Nipah case on Wednesday. The 24-hour control room was also set up in the neighbouring district of Wayanad after the virus outbreak in Kozhikode.

Also Read: Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu ramp up vigil at borders. Details here

To prevent the further increase in cases, the Wayanad district administration also constitued 15 core committees to lead the prevention and surveillance activities and effectively deal with emergency situations.

The virus strain contracting people in Kerala is Bangladesh variant. It spreads from human to human and also has a high mortality rate. However, this virus strain is less infectious.

Also Read: Nipah virus in Kerala: Former Health Minister K K Shailaja shares updates says ‘Situation not as scary as in 2018’

All the people who are in the high-risk contact category are healthy and in stable condition, said State Health Minister Veena George.

Out of the total 13 people who showcased mild symptoms, only a nine-year-old child is in the Intensive Care Unit. Remaining people with mild symptoms are continuously monitored in the hospital

The only available anti-viral treatment for Nipah virus infection is the use of monoclonal antibodies. However, their use in the treatment for virus has not been clinically proven yet. The monoclonal antibodies have been ordered from ICMR to treat the child.

All the prevention measures are in place and there is no need to panic, concluded the high-level review meeting chaired by the CM Pinarayi Vijayan. 

In the meeting the minister had also said that the WHO and ICMR studies had found out that not just Kozhikode, the entire state of Kerala is vulnerable to such infections.

In the review meeting, it was underlined that the people living in forest areas have to take the highest precautions, because they are most vulnerable to such infections. The latest case of the Nipah virus also originated within five kilometres of forest area.

Updated: 14 Sep 2023, 03:03 PM IST