Kozhikode, Sep 15 (UNI) One more Nipah virus case was confirmed in a 39-year-old youth, who has been under medical observation at a private hospital for the last three days.
The total active cases toll rose to five, out of this four have been admitted at Intensive Care Units(ICU) at two separate hospitals in the district, in which a nine-year old boy was in serious condition.
The results of 30 samples, sent on Thursday to NIV, Pune are awaited too. Two people died on August 30 and September 11 , in the recent outbreak of Nipah virus in the district.
There is no panic situation in the district, the ICMR has imported monoclonal antibody medicines from Australia, administered to the active persons to combat the Nipah virus, following the request of the State government.
The ICMR also set up a mobile BSL-3 (biosafety level-3) laboratory with the help of NIV, Pune at Kozhikode to test the samples and detection of the infection. Meanwhile, a five-member central team comprising experts from the National Centre for Diseases Control (NCDC) has been stationed at Kozhikode to take stock of the situation and assist the State government to combat the virus.
Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram unit was also set up a mobile unit to conduct mass tests to the people who were residing in containment zones, Health sources said.
The Karnataka and Tamil Nadu governments have started the border surveillance to Keralites by checking the temperatures of the passengers, who were crossing the borders including at Kodagu, Mysore and Valayar areas.
At present, 20 people were undergoing treatment at Isolation wards in two hospitals including Kozhikode Medical College hospital. The contact list was increased to 950, 287 are health workers of two private hospitals and the rest are from the primary contact list. Field survey to detect the fever among the people and spot examination is going on from the samples of areca nut and guava fruits, under the supervision of various government departments.
District Administration imposed strict restriction and suspended all public programmes for 10 days and declared holidays for educational institutions till tomorrow, to combat virus across the district.
