THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday the Nipah outbreak reported from Kozhikode district is under control but the threat of the infectious disease is not over yet.
He said that at present, it is not possible to rule out the chance of a second wave of the Nipah outbreak.
“It cannot be said that the threat of Nipah is completely over,” the Chief Minister told a press conference here.
Vijayan said the state health system could effectively prevent the spread of the deadly virus.
“The health system is working cautiously. Early detection of the virus averted a dangerous situation,” he said.
Narrating the steps taken by the government to check the prevention of the disease, Vijayan said currently 994 people are under surveillance.
Samples of 304 people were collected, and of this, the test results of 267 people have been received, he added.
He said six people tested positive and nine people are under observation at Kozhikode Medical College.
The Chief Minister said even the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) could not provide a clear answer to why Nipah cases are being reported from Kozhikode district.
Nipah cases were reported from the Kozhikode district on previous occasions in 2018 and 2021. Till Monday evening, 1,270 contacts were traced and some of them through the help of the police, George said and added that over 47,000 homes had come under surveillance in the district till now.
The Health minister had on Sunday said as no new positive Nipah cases were reported, the containment and quarantine measures would remain in place for 42 days from the last positive case reported.
The incubation period of the virus is 21 days and therefore, “a double incubation period of 42 days from the last positive case” is considered as the period during which caution has to be exercised, George had explained. The total number of cases of Nipah infection confirmed in the state are six, of which two persons have died and four people are
being treated.