Kerala Health Minister Veena George said that 175 people in Malappuram district have been put on a contact list related to the Nipah virus outbreak.
Of the 175 who were in contact with the recent Nipah case, 74 are healthcare workers. 126 people are on the primary contact list, of which 104 are considered high risk. 49 others are classified under secondary contact.
Ten people on the list are currently undergoing treatment at the Manjeri Medical College Hospital. The health minister also said that 13 people are being tested and their results are awaited.
On September 9, a 24-year-old man died after contracting the Nipah virus. The state, which has dealt with several Nipah virus outbreaks since 2018, recorded its first death due to the virus on July 21, 2024.
According to a PTI report, Nipah virus antibodies were found in bats in Kozhikode, Wayanad, Idukki, Malappuram and Ernakulam districts. Fruit bats are natural hosts of the virus and can transmit it to humans, with subsequent human-to-human transmission possible.
This is the second death this year due to the Nipah virus, which the World Health Organization has designated as a priority pathogen because of its potential to cause epidemics. There is no vaccine and no specific treatment to treat it.
State Health Minister Veena George has also classified five wards of Malappuram district as containment zones to deal with the possible spread of the virus. All shops in these zones will be closed by 7 pm, and other places where groups of people gather such as cinema halls, schools, colleges, madrasas, anganwadis and tuition centers will remain closed.
Instructions have also been issued to people not to gather in large numbers and to wear masks in public. Malappuram district has also announced a ban on the number of people attending weddings, funerals and other functions.