Nipah Kerala:17 more tests return -ve serving relief on third day
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Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Health Minister Veena George said that 17 more test results of those who were on the contact list of the child who died due to the Nipah virus came negative. However, there are 460 people on the contact list, and 54 people were newly inducted. They were added to the list after examining the CCTV footage from the hospital.
The minister further said that those who are in quarantine should continue for 21 days. The minister added that the online class facility would be provided for students who are on the contact list.
Meanwhile, a case has been registered against two people who spread false news about Nipah on social media.
Kerala Health Department confirmed that the teenage boy in the state, who died of Nipah on Sunday, consumed hog plum fruit from his neighbourhood, where the presence of fruit bats was also confirmed. Fruit bats are known as reservoirs of the Zoonotic virus, The Indian Express reported.
The health minister had said, following a review in Malappuram, that the boy’s friends informed him that he had eaten the fruit before he developed fear.
She also said that a prima facie analysis of the case suggests that the source of the virus was the fruit, and a team of experts from Pune National Virology Institute will study fruit bats in the region on Monday.
According to the minister, an analysis of earlier incidents of Nipah infection in the state inferred that the strain of the virus found in the affected persons in the state was similar to the strain found in the body of the fruit bats. ICMR’s help has been sought in the efforts to ascertain the presence of virus in fruits, the minister said.