Another death takes Nipah toll in Kerala to 17, fresh case confirmed

A man succumbed to the Nipah virus on Thursday, taking the death toll in Kerala to 17, even as another person tested positive for the infection in Kozhikode.

The deceased was identified as Rashin, a 25-year-old resident of Neduvannur. Doctors are yet to identify the source of his infection.

Two people – Madhusudhanan (56) and Akihil Karasserry (28) – had succumbed to the virus on Wednesday. Three patients are currently being treated for the virus at isolation wards in the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital while nine others have been kept under observation.

As there is no known cure for Nipah infection, it can only be treated symptomatically. The disease has a 70% mortality rate.

Karasserry’s death had set alarm bells ringing because he was neither on the contact list prepared by the health department nor from the area where the infection was first reported. However, familial sources did say that he had visited the Kozhikode facility recently to meet a friend’s relative.

State health director Dr RL Saritha said the state government was yet to get updates on an army man who reportedly succumbed to Nipah infection in Kolkata recently. Seenu Prasad (28) had been in Kerala on a month-long leave before reporting to duty on May 13, an army spokesperson said. He was cremated in Kolkata, and fluid samples extracted from his body were sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for further examination.

Meanwhile, the health department has decided to widen the list of those under observation. As most of them are confined to their homes, the government has decided to provide them with free ration supplies and a sustenance allowance.

Even as health agencies in the state struggle to contain the outbreak, the arrival of the southwest monsoon has given rise to more worries. Monsoon-related ailments take a number of lives in Kerala every year.