Kerala has been witnessing a surge in the Nipah virus cases, which have killed two and some are still under treatment. However, now the state government has said that the outbreak is under control as there were no positive cases for the second consecutive day. Also, the infected patients were getting better, said the officials. Meanwhile, the state government have issued various advisory to combat this virus.No cases since 2 days of Nipah virus: Kerala health ministerKerala Health Minister Veena George said that it was a big relief for the state that no fresh positive cases of the virus have been detected in these two days.Nipah Virus | Kerala Health Minister Veena George says, Currently the situation is under control. There are 352 people on the high-risk contact list. Health workers have intensified prevention activities in places where Nipah virus has been confirmed.— ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2023 “The situation is under control presently,” she said.Her statement came after holding a review of the Nipah situation in the north Kerala district.Infected patients getting betterThe minister said the four infected persons, including a nine-year-old boy, were getting better and the child has been taken off ventilator for the time being.On the treatment using a monoclonal antibody, George said that the present variant was only 50-60 per cent effective and that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has assured that it will get a new and more efficient version.Notably, this method is the only experimental therapeutic available to the government against the Nipah virus.36 bat samples sent to NIVMoreover, she also said that samples from 36 bats have been taken and sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune to ascertain the presence of the virus among the mammals.The health minister said that since all the infected persons got the virus from the same person, the index case who died on August 30, it was clear that there was no second wave and that it was welcome news.“It can also be proved through genomic sequencing which is being carried out,” George said.So far, 1,233 contacts have been traced and of them, 352 are in the high-risk category, she added.
