Male Nurse in Coma Requires Advance Treatment After Treating Nipah-Positive Patient

A 24-year-old male nurse Titto Thomas from Kadaba in Dakshina Kannada used to work as a nurse at IQRAA International Hospital and Research Center in Calicut, Kerala in 2023 after finishing his BSc nursing in Mangalore. He cared for a patient who was Nipah virus-positive in September 2023. While in quarantine, 2 months later he started having severe headaches. Scans revealed that he had a brain stroke after testing negative for the Nippah virus. The next day, he slipped into a coma at a private hospital in Kozhikode, Kerala.

Despite providing treatments there has been no improvement in his condition even after eight months. Titto's father, mother, and brother left their jobs in Bangalore to care for him. The family has already spent Rs 40 lakh for his treatment and it would be difficult to continue his treatment if there was no progress.

Tittos's family has approached the Kerala government for compensation to provide advanced treatment for him.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Gayatri Prakasan/MSM)