Kerala Health Minister Veena George announced on Monday that the contact list of the 14-year-old boy who succumbed to Nipah virus has increased to 406 individuals with 194 categorised as high-risk. However, in a relief for the state, test results for 11 individuals, whose samples were sent to the Kozhikode Medical College virology laboratory and the Advanced Virology Institute in Thiruvananthapuram, returned negative.
Among those tested negative are two people from Palakkad, two from Thiruvananthapuram, and the parents of the deceased boy, as stated by the Health Minister, as per the report on PTI.
The health department reported that two individuals from the contact list are from Palakkad and four from Thiruvananthapuram. The Palakkad individuals are employed at a private hospital, while the Thiruvananthapuram individuals have traveled to Perinthalmanna for treatment.
Of the 194 high-risk contacts, 139 are health workers, with 15 currently admitted in various hospitals. Health Minister George emphasised that discharged patients must adhere to isolation protocols.
Additionally, it was revealed that friends of the deceased boy reported he had consumed a fruit from a local property in Pandikkad panchayat, an area where bats have been observed.
The 14-year-old boy from Malappuram, undergoing treatment for Nipah, passed away on Sunday morning. The health department is providing counseling for his friends and transitioning their classes to an online format.
A detailed route map of the boy's movements has been released, urging anyone who may have had contact with him to seek medical attention.
"As of now, that locality is the primary source of infection, but it can be confirmed only after scientific examination. A team from the NIV, led by Dr Balasubramanyam will reach Kerala today (Monday) to observe the bats and their habitat in the areas," George said, as per the report.
Meanwhile, a team from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is already in Kerala, and a mobile laboratory from Pune's NIV is expected to arrive on Tuesday.
To mitigate the outbreak, 224 fever surveillance teams have been deployed, conducting extensive surveys in the Pandikkad and Anakkayam panchayats, the Health Minister added.