Nipah patient from Palakkad continues to be critical, 173 included on contact list
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Batting for prevention: on Nipah cases in Kerala
With two cases of Nipah virus detected in Kerala — including one fatality owing to the infection — the attention is rightfully, once again, on a preventable infectious disease that could leave havoc in its trail. An adolescent girl from Malappuram succumbed to the virus on July 1, and a 38-year-old woman from Palakkad is battling for life in the hospital. In the big picture, as many as 425 people who are in the contact lists of the two Nipah-infected persons in three districts in Kerala have been identified and are under surveillance. Of these, 228 are from Malappuram district, where Patient Zero was identified this time, 110 in Palakkad and 87 in Kozhikode. In Palakkad, one contact is being treated in isolation, while 12 people are currently undergoing treatment in Malappuram — five of them are in the intensive care unit. One of them tested negative for the infection, and the results for the others are awaited. Over 140 of those on the contact list are said to be health workers. While the health machinery in Kerala is engaged in tracing the original source of the infection, it is also tasked, particularly in the three districts of Malappuram, Palakkad and Kozhikode, to trace contacts, isolate them to prevent further spread, contain infection and treat all those who show symptoms. India has recorded several outbreaks of the virus since 2001, a year when 45 of the 66 people infected died in West Bengal. In 2018, it surged in Kerala, with 17 of the 19 cases with laboratory-confirmed Nipah infection dying without responding to treatment. Kerala continues to report outbreaks regularly since then. What renders even a single case of significant concern to get the entire health-care machinery in a tizzy? Nipah is a transmissible viral infection with a high mortality rate, ranging between 40% and 75%, which implies that if the infection spreads, then, a number of people are likely to die. Future research might add an effective tool to the armamentarium to effectively treat Nipah infections without mortality, but as of now, the course of action is vested only in prevention and awareness generation. Nipah is transmitted by fruit bats which are the natural reservoirs of the virus. It is suspected that consuming contaminated fruits, bitten or licked by bats, may play a role in spreading the virus. It is also equally important to cast a watchful eye on climate change-related factors, particularly anthropogenic activity that is destroying natural habitats, and initiate a robust One Health programme that will weigh not just Nipah but also other pathogens that are capable of zoonotic spillover, transitioning from animals to humans and causing great harm.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Maharashtra Medical Council's modern medicine practice permission to homeopaths draws IMA's ire
Mumbai: The Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) has issued a notification permitting homeopaths to prescribe modern medicines after completing a six-month course in pharmacology, drawing a sharp reaction from the Indian Medical Association, which claims it will dilute modern medical practices. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The IMA has demanded the rollback of the decision. The IMA said it will submit memoranda to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis via the district collector and the tahsildar. If their concerns are not addressed, the association plans a 24-hour withdrawal of non-emergency health services on July 11. The MMC notification, dated June 30, authorises the initiation of a Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP) for homeopathy practitioners, enabling them to practice modern medicine. This development stems from a previous notification issued on June 25, 2014, regarding amendments to the Maharashtra Homeopathic Practitioners Act and the Maharashtra Medical Council Act, 1965. Following these amendments, the Medical Education and Drugs Department, Government of Maharashtra, on August 13, 2014, approved to launch the certificate course in pharmacology for homoeopathy practitioners to practice in modern medicine. "As per a Government of Maharashtra notification dated June 25, 2014, MMC directs all CCMP qualified doctors to register under MMC, for which MMC is launching a portal on its website for the registration of CCMP qualified doctors with specific instructions from July 15, 2025", the MMC stated. When contacted, MMC Administrator Dr. Vinky Rughwani stated that the notification was issued following the government's directions, which were based on legal opinion from the Law and Judiciary Department. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "This notification was issued under instructions from the government, which consulted the Law and Judiciary Department," he said. However, the decision has been met with resistance from the Indian Medical Association, which said the MMC move will mislead patients. "This is absolutely wrong and we are against it as it will hoodwink patients and dilute modern medical practices. Currently, the matter is subjudice and the Bombay High Court has granted a stay after IMA filed an application", IMA national vice president Shivkumar Utture told PTI. According to Dr. Utture, the IMA had challenged the state government's 2016 amendments to the Maharashtra Homeopathic Practitioners Act and Maharashtra Medical Council Act in the High Court. "This notification undermines the statutory and ethical framework of MMC and will create confusion among patients. The patients have the right to choose which treatment they prefer and this will only add to chaos," he added. He claimed the MMC has been functioning without an elected body since 2022. IMA Maharashtra president Dr Santosh Kadam claimed that the state government had held consultations only with the Homeopathy Council, Homeopathy associations, and private colleges in May, without inviting the IMA for its input. "Modern medicine is very complex and interrelated. My question is just by doing a course in pharmacology, how can a homoeopath be on par with an MBBS doctor. I think political pressure and a bid to raise fees in Homoeopathy colleges prompted this decision," he added. He said the IMA, through its 220 branches, will submit memoranda to the Chief Minister via the district collector and the tahsildar. If their concerns are not addressed, the association plans a 24-hour withdrawal of non-emergency health services on July 11.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Nipah: 461 on contact list, 27 high-risk
Kozhikode: Health minister Veena George, who chaired a Nipah awareness meet at Malappuram collectorate on Monday evening, said 461 people were currently on the contact list in Kerala. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now She said 252 are from Malappuram and 209 from Palakkad and they were kept under observation in Malappuram, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Kannur and Ernakulam. Also, 27 individuals, categorized as high-risk contacts, are now in quarantine. Among the two healthcare workers undergoing treatment at Manjeri Medical College, one is a CT scan technician. Of the 48 persons tested from the contact list, 46 have tested negative, she said. This includes 23 persons from Manjeri Medical College and 23 from Kozhikode. "This is a critical period for those who had direct contact with the two patients and we should not take it lightly. A full 21-day quarantine must be followed," said George. She urged residents of Malappuram, Palakkad and Kozhikode to wear masks and added that LSGIs must ensure food is provided to those under quarantine. Education department was directed to grant special casual leave to teachers residing in containment zones and to ensure online classes for affected students. "No one on the contact list should go untraced," she said, adding that police assistance was sought to ensure this. George said no connection has been established between the two cases reported from Palakkad and Malappuram and there is no link between these cases and the case that was reported at Valanchery in May. Surveillance activities were completed across 8,706 households in Malappuram's containment zones to identify individuals with fever. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now MLA Manjalamkuzhi Ali, collector VR Vinod, additional director of public health Dr KP Reetha and others attended the meeting. Additional chief secretary Rajan Khobragade, Kozhikode and Palakkad collectors, DMOs, senior police officers and representatives from various departments participated online.
