Kozhikode (Kerala): The National Center for Disease Control team on Sunday visited the house of the 12-year-old boy who died of Nipah virus. The central team inspected in Pazhoor and Munnur where the student was infected.
The national health team was led by former Deputy Director General of the Central Health Cell, Dr. Dr. P. Raveendran and Additional Director of Public Health Specialist Dr. K Raghu and they were accompanied by additional DMO Piyush Namboodiripad. Panchayat President Olikkal Gafoor was also joined the team. The central team provided precautionary instructions to the deceased's family after visiting the deceased' house and surroundings in Cheruvadi.
The team collected the samples of Rambutan fruits from the nearby vicinity in order to find the source as there are doubts if the boy was infected consuming the fruits.
The 12-year-old boy died in the early hours of Sunday after battling for his life on a ventilator for last six days. When he fell sick, he was first admitted to Omassery Shanthi Hospital and later brought to Kozhikode Medical College. He was shifted to MIMS Hospital on September 1. The doctor suspected of Nipah symptoms in the boy and sent his samples to Alappuzha Virology Institute for a test. Pune Institute of Virology also confirmed that he was infected with Nipah.
Soon after reports confirmed that the boy died of Nipah virus, local authorities geared up to check any further spread of the dreaded virus in Kozhikode and surrounding areas. The Kozhikode Medical College Hospital has opened an exclusive Nipah ward to cater to any possible outbreak of the virus.
The authorities declared an health alert in the district and cordoned off about three kilometres around the house of the deceased boy. Pazhoor (Ward-9) of Chathamangalam panchayat was fully shut and nearby wards of Nayarkuzhy, Koolimad, Puthiyadam wards were partially closed, sources said, adding that police had been deployed to restrict movement of vehicles and people. The locals have also been alerted to report any instances of fever, vomiting and other health disorders.
