Kozhikode Nipah Case: Infection Source Unknown, Patient Critical
The source and route of transmission of the recent Nipah virus case in Kozhikode remain unclear, even as the Health department asserts that the infection has been contained.
Fruit bats are known natural carriers of the Nipah virus. However, samples collected by the Animal Husbandry department from within a five-kilometre radius of the patient's residence—including dead fruit bats, bird droppings, and body fluids from domestic animals—have all tested negative for the virus. Similarly, samples from a godown in Malappuram district previously used by the 43-year-old patient from Ramanattukara also showed no traces of the virus. All samples were sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
The Health department maintains that the situation is under control, noting that all close contacts of the infected person have tested negative, suggesting no community spread. However, the patient remains on ventilator support at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, since June 10. The number of people under observation has declined to 93 as of June 23, with 11 individuals removed from the list after completing 21 days without symptoms, according to a release from the office of Health Minister K. Muraleedharan.
