14-year-old infected with Nipah in Kerala dead, says health minister

The 14-year-old boy from Kerala's Malappuram, who was under treatment for Nipah infection, died on Sunday, 21 July state Health Minister Veena George said.

George said the boy from Pandikkad suffered a massive cardiac arrest at 10.50 am on Sunday and efforts to revive him failed.

"He was on a ventilator and was not conscious. The urine output had reduced this morning. After the massive cardiac arrest, the revival efforts failed and he passed away at 11.30 am," George said.

The Minister said the funeral will be held following international protocols.

"Further matters on funeral will be decided only after the district Collector holds discussion with the parents and the family," George said.

The Minister said currently there are three people under isolation at Kozhikode medical college where the deceased boy was undergoing treatment.

"At Manjeri Medical college, four high-risk category people are admitted out of which one person is in ICU," the minister said, adding that the results of their samples will be out today itself.

The minister said the child went to school on 11 May and till now there are not many cases of patients with symptoms.

Earlier in the day, the Minister had informed that there are a total of 246 people in the contact list of the boy out of which 63 were under high-risk category.

"We will be testing all under the high-risk category but initially those with symptoms will be tested. We have labs in the state and a mobile lab from the Pune NIV is arriving in the state," George said.

The Health department has also decided to conduct fever surveillance in two panchayats including the epicentre Pandikkad and a total of around 33,000 houses will be covered under it.

"The survey will be conducted jointly by the officials of the Health department, the LSGD and the Directorate of Animal Husbandry," the Minister said.

The state government will also take care of the families under isolation and volunteers have been deployed to assist them to purchase provisions or medicines and assist them.

"The volunteers will also help the families under isolation to take care of their pets or livestock if any," she added.

The child was shifted from a private hospital to the Kozhikode Medical College yesterday after he was confirmed to be having Nipah infection.

The Minister also informed that the monoclonal antibody which was procured last time from Australia and stored at Pune NIV has reached the state. The Health department has also set up 30 isolation rooms and a six-bed ICU at the Manjeri Medical College and have isolated all those who have come into contact with the infected boy.

The authorities have imposed restrictions in a three-km radius from the epicentre at Pandikkad.

The Health department said the child had sought treatment at a private clinic on 12 July. He was admitted to the same private hospital on 15 July but was later shifted to the private hospital at Perinthalmanna. From there, he was shifted to the private hospital at Kozhikode.

The state government had announced recently that a special action calendar was being prepared for the prevention of a Nipah outbreak, which has haunted the state on four occasions in the past.

Nipah outbreaks have been reported in Kozhikode district in 2018, 2021 and 2023 and in Ernakulam district in 2019, and the presence of Nipah virus antibodies had been detected in bats in Kozhikode, Wayanad, Idukki, Malappuram and Ernakulam districts.