Shillong, September 14: A 24-year-old health professional in Kozhikode tested positive for Nipah virus on Wednesday night, bringing the total number of active cases to three, according to Kerala Health Minister Veena George.
As per IANS, all three cases are concentrated in Kozhikode. The recent outbreak of Nipah began with the death of an individual on August 30. However, it was only on Monday, when a contact of the deceased person tested positive, that the resurgence of Nipah was officially confirmed.
Minister George reported that 706 individuals have been identified as contacts of the infected cases, with 153 of them being health professionals. Among these contacts, 77 have been categorized as high-risk.
Earlier in the day, George assured the Kerala Assembly that all necessary measures have been put in place to contain the spread of the Nipah virus, including the availability of fully equipped hospital beds.
These recent cases have emerged approximately 15 kilometers from the initial Nipah virus outbreak in Kozhikode, which was first identified in southern India in May 2018 and recurred in 2021. Nipah virus is a zoonotic disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans and can also spread through contaminated food or contact.
