Kerala’s only confirmed Nipah patient continues to remain on ventilator support at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital, while health authorities have reported no new Nipah infections in the state.
According to officials, the patient was administered the second dose of monoclonal antibody treatment as per Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines. In a positive development, the second test result of a healthcare worker identified as a primary contact of the patient has returned negative.
Of the seven individuals admitted for observation, two close relatives of the infected patient were discharged from hospital on Monday after their symptoms subsided. Both had previously tested negative for the Nipah virus.
Gold 101.3 FM, UAE’s No.1 radio station, understands that another close relative who had been under quarantine as part of the contact-tracing process was admitted to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital on Sunday for observation. At present, six people remain under hospital observation.
Authorities have also collected and sent samples of another healthcare worker on the contact list for testing. Health officials confirmed that no fresh cases have been detected and no new individuals have been added to the contact list.
The number of people under surveillance remains at 103, including four classified as very high-risk contacts, 14 as high-risk contacts and 85 as low-risk contacts. The contact list also includes 45 healthcare workers.
As part of ongoing containment efforts, the central team assisting Kerala’s Nipah response visited the private hospital in Feroke where the patient initially sought treatment. Field surveillance activities also continued in Ramanattukara Municipality, the area linked to the infection.
On Monday alone, health workers visited 46 additional households in Division 5 as part of intensified monitoring and awareness efforts.
The Nipah infection was confirmed in Kozhikode district on June 11. Since then, all samples collected through contact tracing and surveillance have tested negative, and no secondary infections have been reported so far, providing cautious relief to health authorities as monitoring continues.
