The 14-year-old boy from Chembrasseri near Pandikkad in Kerala’s Malappuram district, who was infected with Nipah virus, passed away on Sunday while under treatment for the disease at Kozhikode medical college hospital.

State Health Minister Veena George told media persons in Malappuram that the boy, who was surviving on ventilator support at the hospital, had a massive cardiac arrest by around 11 am. Though the doctors tried to revive him, their efforts failed and he died around 11.30 am, she said

The Minister said the post-death formalities would be carried out following the international Nipah protocol. “We will discuss with the family members of the boy to finalize the formalities related to the funeral.

The boy had been undergoing treatment at the medical college hospital since July 20. Earlier, he was treated at three different hospitals in Malappuram before being referred from a private hospital in Perinthalmanna to MIMS hospital, Kozhikode in the wake of his condition deteriorating.

The boy was shifted to the government medical college hospital on July 20 after he was diagnosed with Nipah virus infection.

Veena George said at present three of his close relatives are under surveillance at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, and four other acquaintances are at the Government Medical College Hospital, Manjeri, Malappuram. One of them is intensive care unit support. “It is a matter of relief that none of those in the high-risk contact category has Nipah symptoms. There is no need to panic,” she said.

The Health Department received a monoclonal antibody from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) today. However, the boy passed away before the doctors could administer the antibody.

The health minister said there are 246 people in the Nipah contact list in the district, with 63 of them in the high-risk category.

“A mobile testing lab from the National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune will reach the district on Sunday. Though we have facilities for Nipah testing at Kozhikode Medical College and Thonnakkal Institute of Advanced Virology, the test results from the NIV are required to confirm the infection. Samples from everyone in the high-risk category will be tested. However, initially, the samples will be taken from the people showing symptoms of the disease,” Veena George said.

He informed that special fever clinics would be started in Wandoor, Nilambur, and Karuvarakundu – areas near the panchayat where Nipah was confirmed. A house-to-house survey will be conducted in Pandikkad and Anakkayam panchayats to identify people with symptoms.

Nipah outbreaks have been reported from Kerala in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2023 and the presence of Nipah virus antibodies had been detected in bats in Kozhikode, Wayanad, Idukki, Malappuram, and Ernakulam districts. The first outbreak was in 2018, when 17 people, from Kozhikode and Malappuram, succumbed to it.

Two others survived. It was reported again from Ernakulam in 2019, but the patient recovered. Mohammed Hashim, a 12-year-old boy from Kozhikode, died of the infection in 2021. E Mohammedali and M Haris of Kozhikode lost their lives because of it in 2023. Four other infected patients, including a nine-year-old boy, recovered.