MALAPPURAM: The 14-year-old boy from Pandikkad in Malappuram who was infected with Nipah passed away on Sunday while under treatment for the disease at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital. The boy, who was surviving with the help of a ventilator at the hospital, suffered a massive cardiac arrest at around 10:50 am. “The boy was in an unconscious state. The urine output of the boy was very low. He suffered a massive cardiac arrest. The doctors tried their level best to save the boy. Unfortunately, he passed away at around 11:30 am,” said Health Minister Veena George.
The Minister said the post-death formalities will be done following the international Nipah protocol. “We will discuss with the family members of the boy to finalize the formalities related to the funeral. At present, three people are in isolation at Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital (GMCH), and four people are in isolation at Manjeri GMCH. Of the four individuals in Manjeri GMCH, one person is in the intensive care unit. The results of the samples taken from them will be received soon. They all have viral fever. However, there is no need to panic, and people in the contact list should not be worried,” Veena said.
The health department received monoclonal antibody from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) today. However, the boy passed away before the doctors could administer the antibody.
The health minister said there are 246 people in the Nipah contact list in the district, with 63 of them in the high-risk category. “A mobile testing lab from the National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune will reach the district today. Though we have facilities for Nipah testing at Kozhikode Medical College and Thonnakkal Institute of Advanced Virology, the test results from the NIV are required to confirm the infection. Samples from everyone in the high-risk category will be tested. However, initially, the samples will be taken from the people showing symptoms of the disease,” Veena said.
The Health Minister informed that special fever clinics will be started in Wandoor, Nilambur, and Karuvarakundu – areas near the panchayat where Nipah was confirmed. A house-to-house survey will be conducted in Pandikkad and Anakkayam panchayats to identify people with symptoms. There are 16,711 houses in Pandikkad and 16,248 houses in Anakkayam. A team consisting of officials from the health, local self-government, and animal husbandry departments, along with volunteers, will conduct the survey.
