The 14-year-old boy from Chembrasseri, near Pandikkad in Malappuram, Kerala, passed away on Sunday morning at Kozhikode Govt Medical College Hospital after testing positive for Nipah infection on Saturday. Meanwhile, the state government stepped up contact tracing and preventive measures in Pandikkad and Anakkayam panchayats.

In charge of the preventive measures, Health Minister Veena George, who is camped in Malappuram, reported that the youngster, who was unconscious and on a ventilator, had a serious cardiac arrest at 10.50 a.m., and that his death was confirmed at 11.30 a.m. 

Since 2018, Kerala has recorded Nipah infections five times. According to her, 330 of the boy's contacts have been found so far, 68 of them are medical professionals. One of his contacts has been admitted to Kozhikode Government Medical College, and six of his contacts are being monitored at Manjeri Government Medical College, Kerala. A total of 101 contacts have been deemed high risk.

Six high-risk contacts were among the seven samples that Veena said were tested on Sunday and the results were negative. One of them, a 68-year-old man, was from close to the boy's neighborhood and had a fever and other symptoms; the other six were the boy's friends who had direct contact with him. "It is a matter of relief that the seven samples tested negative... We will continue testing the boy’s high-risk contacts and will also closely check the contact list once again to ensure that no one is left out from it,” No one from the boy's family showed Nipah symptoms, she added.

The samples of all contacts at high risk would be analyzed, and priority testing would be given to those exhibiting symptoms. The boy's whole travel route would be made public by health officials, who requested that anyone who had any contact with him get in touch with the control room.

Health officials looked at CCTV footage from healthcare facilities where the child received care and asked the police for assistance in locating his contacts. According to the minister, the National Institute of Virology, Pune's mobile laboratory would arrive in Kozhikode on Tuesday and aid in accelerating tests. Following Nipah protocols, the boy's funeral was placed on Sunday night at Odombett Old Juma Masjid's cemetery. In accordance with the desires of his parents, who are in isolation, his body was transferred from Kozhikode Govt Medical College to his hometown.

Tests at the Pune Virology Institute on Saturday revealed that the boy tested positive for Nipah. He became ill on July 10 and went to a private clinic for treatment on July 12. On July 13, he sought advice from a private hospital in Pandikkad. After being admitted on July 15 to the same private hospital, he was transferred on Friday to a private hospital in Perinthalmanna and then moved to a private hospital in Kozhikode. On Saturday, he was moved to the government medical college hospital in Kozhikode.

The Health Department has initiated an elaborate surveillance program for home fever as a preventive step. None of the 18 fever cases that were recorded on Sunday, nor the 307 households that were covered, had any connection with the boy. There was no epidemiological connection between the boy and the ten fever cases that were reported to the Anakkayam panchayat.

According to the minister, instructions have been made to guarantee that the district's Nipah protocol would be followed and social distancing will be maintained during Plus One seat allocation on Monday. Parents and students in three higher secondary schools in Anakkayam and Pandikkad panchayat have been instructed to use hand sanitizers and wear N-95 face masks.

On Sunday night, a group from ICMR, comprising two technical specialists and four scientists, is scheduled to arrive in Kozhikode. Pandikkad and Anakkayam panchayats have implemented restrictions, allowing businesses, including hotels, to function only until 5 p.m.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Priyanka Pandey/MSM)