Kerala has been put on high alert after a 14-year-old boy from Chembrasseri near Pandikkad in Malappuram district died of Nipah virus on Sunday while under treatment for the disease at Kozhikode Medical College and Hospital.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Monday said that six people in the deceased victim’s contact list are from other districts. Four of them are from Thiruvananthapuram district and two are from Palakkad district.
“Four people in the contact list are from Thiruvananthapuram district and two of them had direct contact with the deceased,” the Health Minister said.
Among the two Palakkad natives, one is a staff nurse at the hospital where the boy sought treatment and the other one is employed as a security guard in the same hospital, Veena George said in Malappuram.
Four people in the contact list from Thiruvananthapuram visited the hospital in Perinthalmanna on the same day the boy was treated there.
It is learnt that some people from Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkad districts have developed symptoms of Nipah infection.
“In all, 350 persons are currently in the contact list and 101 among them are in the high-risk category. A total of 13 samples including the swab of the (deceased) boy’s parents will be sent for the test today. Though the boy’s parents have not shown any symptoms till date, we are following the procedures,” said Veena George.
“We urge the people to take necessary precautions including wearing masks at public places and avoid hospital visits unless absolutely necessary,” the health minister said.
Among the 350 people in the contact list, 68 are healthcare workers. The private bus used by the deceased boy to travel to his tuition centre after contracting the disease has been identified. The people in the bus who came in contact with the boy are being determined with the help of CCTV footage.
Meanwhile, the Kerala Health Department has released the detailed route map of the 14-year-old boy who died of Nipah in the state. The Health Department has directed those who were present in the places indicated in the route map to inform the same to the Nipah control room.
Although a preliminary route map was prepared earlier, a detailed route map has been released following the boy’s death.
In this connection, it has been reported that the 14-year-old boy, who died of Nipah, had consumed hogplum (ambazhanga).