Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Saturday said a 14-year-old boy from Malappuram is infected with the Nipah virus. Pune NIV (National Institute of Virology) had confirmed the infection in the boy who is currently under treatment at a private hospital, George told media on Saturday (July 20)
"He will be shifted to the government medical college at Kozhikode. The contact tracing has begun. High-risk contacts have already been isolated and their samples have been sent for testing," George told the media. The child is under treatment and is on a ventilator, George added.
The minister said the epicentre was Pandikkad and that precautionary measures had already been initiated. She asked the people in the area of the epicentre and the nearby hospitals to wear masks in public spaces and avoid visiting patients in hospitals.
The state government recently announced that a special action calendar was being prepared to prevent a Nipah outbreak, which has haunted the state on four occasions in the past.