Kerala’s Nipah virus alert deepened after a 10-year-old relative of the confirmed Nipah-positive woman from Palakkad began showing symptoms of the infection. The child has been admitted to a hospital and is being monitored closely by doctors.
Health Minister Veena George on Friday released the patient’s route map and confirmed that the 38-year-old woman had not used any form of public transport after developing symptoms. The woman, a resident of Nattukkal in Palakkad, was admitted to a private hospital in Perinthalmanna on June 25 with fever and breathing difficulty. Her condition worsened, requiring ventilator support. Her samples tested positive for Nipah at both Kozhikode Medical College and the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune.
Authorities have identified 91 people who came into close contact with the woman. All of them are being monitored, and many have been advised to go into quarantine. A total of 345 people are currently on the health department’s Nipah surveillance list across districts.
To contain the spread, restrictions have been imposed in several parts of Palakkad. Wards 7, 8, 9, and 11 of Thachanattukara panchayat, and Wards 17 and 18 of Karimpuzha panchayat have been declared containment zones. Shops are permitted to operate only between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., educational institutions remain closed, and masks are now mandatory.
Experts have also urged the public not to disturb bat habitats, warning that such actions could worsen disease transmission risks.