The number of confirmed Nipah infections in Kerala’s Kozhikode district has increased to six. A 39-year-old man who had previously sought treatment at a private hospital, where others with the virus had previously been treated for other conditions, has tested positive. In Kerala, the zoonotic virus, which is spread from animals to humans through species contact, has already claimed the lives of two people this year, marking its fourth outbreak since 2018.
State Health Minister Veena George’s office on Friday said that the 39-year-old man has been confirmed with the Nipah virus after his samples turned positive. He was being observed in a medical facility.

Kerala has received a monoclonal antibody from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which is needed to cure an infection with the Nipah virus. The medication is the only antiviral treatment for Nipah virus infection, albeit it has not yet received clinical validation.

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The government has stated that the virus strain found in the state was the Bangladesh version, which originated 5 km from the forest, transmits from person to person, has a high fatality rate, but is less contagious.

Mobile testing vans from the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) and the National Institute of Virology have been dispatched to Kozhikode. It will facilitate and encourage testing for the virus.

Kerala is being monitored by a central staff as well.

Avoiding alcohol collected in open containers from palm trees has been advised.

An employee of a private hospital in Kozhikode, age 24, was identified as having the virus yesterday.

There are 706 people on the contact list, 77 of whom fall under the high-risk group, and 153 of them are medical professionals. According to Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Wednesday, no one in the high-risk category is currently exhibiting symptoms.

Up to 13 patients are currently being monitored in the hospital and displaying minor symptoms including headaches, she said.

Before instances are confirmed in labs, George stated that the state wants to engage in “proactive detection” of infections. The health administration keeps track of clinical signs so that early warnings can be issued.

According to George, the state administration is concentrating on identifying early contacts of infected individuals and isolating those who exhibit symptoms.