The southern authorities Indian Kerala has taken precautionary measures following the death of a 14-year-old boy. Nipah virus The province’s health minister announced Sunday that 60 people have been placed in the high-risk category.
A Reuters investigation last year found parts of Kerala are among the most vulnerable in the world to the virus. NipaBacteria originating from animals such as fruit bats and pigs Fatal brain swelling fever In humans.
The Nipah virus has been classified as a priority pathogen by the World Health Organization (WHO) due to its potential to cause epidemics. There is no vaccine to prevent infection and no treatment.
“The infected boy died on Sunday after suffering a cardiac arrest,” state Health Minister Veena George told local television reporters in Malayalam.
Earlier, in a statement on Saturday, she said that as part of the response to the Nipah virus, the government had ordered the establishment of 25 committees to identify and isolate infected people.
Dr Anoop Kumar, head of intensive care at Aster MIMS Hospital in Calicut, said one school-going boy has been diagnosed with Nipah virus and people who came in contact with him were being monitored.
“At this stage, the possibility of a Nipah virus outbreak is minimal,” he said, adding that the situation would be monitored over the next seven to 10 days.
The statement said that 214 people were on the list of the boy’s primary contacts, of which 60 were in the high-risk category, and isolation wards had been set up at medical institutions to treat the patients.
According to local media reports, a case of Nipah virus infection was confirmed in the town of Malappuram, about 220 miles from the Kerala capital of Thiruvananthapuram, and family members of infected patients were admitted to a local hospital for observation, while others who may be at risk of infection were asked to isolate themselves at home.
The state government said it was working to trace cases to stop the spread of the Nipah virus, which has been linked to dozens of deaths in the state since it was first identified there in 2018.
The virus was first identified in Malaysia 25 years ago and has caused outbreaks in Bangladesh, India and Singapore.
