Kerala increases testing as Nipah cases rise

A 39-year-old man tested positive for the Nipah virus, transmitted through direct contact with an infected person who died on 30 August, State Health Minister Veena George said in Kozhikode on Friday. With the number of active cases rising to four, the state government has decided to test everyone on the high-risk contact list of infected persons. George said that the infection was confirmed after the man’s samples tested positive.
There are a total of six infections in the state, of which two died earlier. George’s office said that the infected patient sought treatment at a private hospital where Nipah-infected persons were treated for other ailments earlier.
A high-level meeting was held at the Kozhikode Collectorate to take stock of the situation. Besides George, Ministers PA Mohammed Riyas, Ahamed Devarkovil and AK Saseendran took part in the meeting. Briefing the media after the meeting, George said the health conditions of those affected, including a nine-year-old boy on ventilator, were stable. It is suspected that the patients under treatment were infected with the virus from a person who died in August.