Nipah: Kerala imposes restrictions at Malappuram’s containment zones, releases updated list of 175 contacts of deceased

The Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala on Monday imposed restrictions at containment zones in Malappuram where a 24-year-old student recently died ata private hospital due to Nipah infection.

According to the restrictions, all shops in the containment zones are ordered to close by 7 PM. Places of mass gathering, such as schools, colleges, madrassas, anganwadis, tuition centres, and cinema halls, are asked to remain closed in the containment zones until further order. People have been advised to wear masks in public.

Meanwhile, state Health Minister Veena George has released an updated list of 175persons who were in contact with thedeceased student. "Out of them, 74 are health workers. 126 are primary contact while 49 are in the secondary contact list," the health minister said.

Releasing thecontact list of the deceased student, the state health minister said out of 126 primary contact lists, 104 people are considered to be under the high-risk category.

The minister further said 10 people are being treated at Manjeri Medical College Hospital, and 13 people's samples have been sent for testing.

The health department has also formed 66 teams and fever survey has started within three km radius of the house of the deceased, the minister added.

Earlier on Sunday, George announced that a 24-year-old man who recently died at a private hospital in Malappuram was infected with the Nipah virus.

The man, a native of Malappuram's Naduvath was a student in Bengaluru and had came home to avail treatment for a leg injury. Later, he contracted a fever and consulted doctors at different hospitals. He died on September 9 at a private hospital in Perinthalmanna.

This was second death this year due to the Nipah virus, which the World Health Organisation defines as a priority pathogen because of its potential to cause an epidemic.