Kerala's Palakkad Nipah patient critical, contact list has over 100 names
Health officials have identified 173 contacts of the Palakkad patient, including 100 primary and 52 high-risk contacts. So far, 12 individuals have been placed under isolation, and five contact samples have tested negative.Addressing the media, Minister George also said that there were a total of 425 people on the Nipah contact list in the state: 228 people are on the contact list in Malappuram, 110 in Palakkad and 87 in Kozhikode.One person on the contact list has tested negative, and 61 health workers in Palakkad are on the contact list. All 87 people on the contact list in Kozhikode district are health workers.The state has also published the route maps of infected individuals in Palakkad and Malappuram to trace movement.Meanwhile, the health department has directed that all contacts of the Palakkad patient mandatorily remain isolated within the district. Instructions have been given to conduct fever surveillance in the area, while ensuring psychological support is extended to affected families. Only biological samples are to be sent for testing.Other measures include ambulances, including Kaniv 108, on standby for emergencies, with efforts to identify the source of infection being intensified.Additional Chief Secretary, Health Department, The State Mission Director NHM, Health Department Director, Medical Education Department Director, Additional Directors, District Collectors, District Medical Officers, Police Officers, and various department officials attended the meeting.- Ends
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The Hindu
24 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Nipah patient from Palakkad continues to be critical, 173 included on contact list
As the Palakkad native who was tested positive for Nipah is fighting for her life at the Government Medical College in Kozhikode, the government has intensified measures to prevent the spread of the disease around her native village in Palakkad district. Health Minister Veena George told reporters in Palakkad after a review meeting on Monday that the 38-year old patient was administered two doses of Monoclonal Antibody, used as a potential treatment for Nipah infection. As many as 173 people have been included on the contact list, 100 on the primary list and 73 on the secondary list. Of them, 52 are in the high-risk category while 48 are in the low-risk category. The five samples of people who had developed symptoms tested in the district so far have turned out to be negative for Nipah while four other samples are being tested at the Government Medical College Hospital in Manjeri. As many as 12 people have been placed under isolation. The area in the three kilometres radius of the patient's house has been declared as a containment zone. The District Collector and District Police Chief are leading the surveillance in this area. As Nipah spreads mostly when the patient is in critical condition, surveillance is focussed on people who met the patient after July 1. Meanwhile, a person identified to have had close contact with the patient at a private clinic in Mannarkkad, is yet to be traced. Meanwhile the Health department will revisit cases of death due to brain hemorrhage and similar ailments during the past month with the help of private hospitals and the Indian Medical Association. Though the initial tests are being carried out at the Medical College Hospitals in Manjeri and Kozhikode, the results from the National Institute of Virology at Pune is considered the last word in confirming Nipah. As field surveillance has been strengthened in Palakkad district, efforts have been made to ensure social and mental support to those in quarantine. Animal deaths in and around houses are also monitored while efforts are being made to test the samples from bats under the custody of the Department of Animal Welfare. Quarantine facilities have been made available at Government Medical College Hospital in Palakkad. The Minister said that the hospital has facilities to treat even the positive cases. Ms. George came down heavily on those spreading false information and making unfounded statements. 'Nipah has been reported in Palakkad for the first time. The global death rate due to Nipah is 70% to 90%. Even as Kerala faced Nipah in 2018 and 2023, the death toll was very low. It was only 33% in 2023,' she added. District Collector G .Priyanka, District Police Chief Ajith Kumar, Additional Director of Health Services (Public Health) K.P. Reetha, District Medical Officer K.R. Divya and senior officials of the Health department were present at the press meet.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Nipah virus in Kerala: Over 400 under surveillance, containment zone declared; One critical, one dead
Kerala Health Minister Veena George has confirmed that 425 individuals have been placed on the Nipah virus contact list across the state. Malappuram district has reported the highest number of contacts at 228, followed by 110 in Palakkad and 87 in Kozhikode. Among those identified, one person has tested negative. Health authorities have launched extensive surveillance and containment measures in response. What is Nipah virus and where it started Nipah virus (NiV) is a highly fatal zoonotic virus, meaning it spreads from animals to humans. It causes acute encephalitis, respiratory distress, and in many cases, death. The virus was first identified in Malaysia in 1999 and has since led to multiple deadly outbreaks in South and Southeast Asia. Kerala has experienced six such outbreaks, making it the most Nipah-affected state in India. The state's first outbreak in 2018 occurred in Perambra, Kozhikode, and resulted in 17 deaths, including that of nurse Lini Puthussery, who contracted the virus while treating the index patient. Investigations later confirmed that fruit bats , also known as flying foxes, were the likely source. Nipah virus can spread through direct contact with infected animals such as pigs, consumption of fruits or palm sap contaminated by fruit bats, and human-to-human transmission via bodily fluids or contaminated surfaces. Nipah virus symptoms and precautions Common symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain, sore throat, vomiting, dizziness, drowsiness, altered consciousness, seizures, coma, and encephalitis. There is currently no vaccine for Nipah virus, and treatment is primarily supportive. Live Events The Health Department has advised the public to stay alert, avoid consuming fruits bitten by bats, and to seek medical attention promptly if symptoms occur. Containment measures underway in affected districts In Malappuram district, field operations are focused on tracing the source of the outbreak and halting further spread. Surveillance has been conducted in 20 wards across the panchayats of Makkaraparamba, Kuruva, Koottilangadi, and Mankada. A total of 65 teams visited 1,655 households for door-to-door awareness and contact tracing. The survey was led by Dr N.N. Pameela, with support from C.K. Suresh Kumar, M. Shahul Hameed, and epidemiologist Dr Kiran Raj. The team's report has been submitted to District Medical Officer Dr Renuka. In Palakkad, one individual is in isolation while 61 healthcare workers have been identified as close contacts. The health department has opted for local isolation with samples sent for testing. A three-kilometre radius around the patient's house has been declared a containment zone, with strict surveillance being carried out by the district collector and district police chief, said Kerala's Health minister to PTI. A Malappuram native, had succumbed to the virus last week as reported by PTI. In Kozhikode, all 87 individuals on the contact list are healthcare professionals who may have been exposed during treatment or response activities. Coordination efforts and resource deployment Route maps of confirmed cases in Palakkad and Malappuram have been released to support contact tracing and raise public awareness. Ambulance services, including the Kaniv 108 fleet, have been placed on standby. Fever surveillance in the affected regions has also been strengthened. The Health Minister stressed the importance of providing psychological support to individuals under observation. Fruit bats are once again suspected to be the source of the virus. A high-level review meeting chaired by Veena George was convened in the district. The session included senior officials such as the Additional Chief Secretary of the Health Department, the NHM State Mission Director, the Director of Medical Education, Additional Directors, District Collectors, District Medical Officers, police officials, and representatives from other departments.
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
Sudden heart attack deaths among people under age of 45 declared notifiable in Karnataka
All sudden heart attack deaths among the young (aged below 45 years) in Karnataka will now have to be notified to the Health Department. On July 7, the Health Department declared sudden heart attack deaths among people below the age of 45 as 'notifiable' on the basis of a recommendation by the expert committee that was set up to study the link between COVID-19 vaccination and sudden cardiovascular events. The committee is headed by K. S. Ravindranath, Director the State-run Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, Bengaluru. Amid mounting public anxiety over the rising trend of sudden cardiovascular events (heart attack, sudden cardiac death) post-COVID-19 pandemic, the Karnataka government had in February this year set up the expert committee to evaluate the temporal and potential causal links with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or COVID-19 vaccination. The committee has not found any association between premature cardiovascular disease and a prior history of COVID-19 infection or COVID vaccination. Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, who made the announcement on July 7 after a meeting to discuss the recommendations of the expert committee, said the government of Karnataka would start monitoring sudden heart attack deaths reported among those below the age of 45. 'Any such deaths that occur outside a hospital will have to be mandatorily reported to the Department. Following the committee's recommendations, we will now make the autopsy of all such deaths compulsory to ascertain the cause of death. Directions in this regard will be issued soon,' the Minister said. Pointing out that the observational study by the State's expert panel as well as several published international studies had not found any link between COVID vaccination and cardiovascular events, the Minister stated, 'In fact, COVID vaccination has been shown to be protective against cardiac events in the long term. The only complaints are with regard to mRNA vaccines that have been known to cause myocarditis in some cases. However, mRNA vaccines have not been used in our country,' he said. The Minister said, 'We will start screening of congenital heart defects in school children aged 15 and above. Training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), an emergency procedure that is done when someone's breathing or heartbeat has stopped, will be provided to the general public through NGOs and like-minded organisations. We will also start annual basic health screening for all government employees, including outsourced and contract staff,' Mr. Rao said. Pointing out that all corporate and private companies will be directed to mandatorily provide annual health screening for their employees, the Minister said, 'We are also screening people for non-communicable diseases through our 'Gruha Arogya'' scheme. We will soon discuss with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on what further health benefits can be given to our employees,' he said. He said the Puneeth Rajkumar Hrudaya Jyothi Yojane - that is currently being implemented in 86 government hospitals - will soon be extended to all taluks. In 2023, the Health Department named Karnataka's heart attack (ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction - STEMI) management project at taluk level as Puneeth Rajkumar Hrudaya Jyothi scheme. The project launched to avoid delay in providing diagnosis and treatment to heart attack patients in rural areas is being implemented on a 'hub and spoke' model. AEDs in public places The Minister said the process of installing automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public places, including bus stands, railway stations, airports, the Vidhana Soudha, courts, etc. will be expedited. 'Although we had announced this earlier, there were some hitches as we need trained personnel to use these devices. We will again explore possibilities of deploying trained personnel from the nearest health facilities in designated public places wherever possible and start providing this service soon,' he said. Dr Ravindranath said post-COVID there was a significant rise in the prevalence of common risk factors that lead to cardiovascular disease. 'Our study has not found any single cause behind the observed rise in sudden cardiac deaths. Rather, it appears to be a multifactorial issue, with behavioral, genetic, and environmental risks. While in the immediate post-COVID phase, there is an increase in the incidence of sudden cardiovascular events due to a pro-inflammatory state, the same cannot be held to be true in the long term (>1 year). It has been three years since the end of the pandemic,' Dr Ravindranath added.
