Nipah curbs lifted in nine panchayats in Kerala's Vadakara

KOZHIKODE: With Nipah concerns subsiding in the district, Kozhikode collector A Geetha issued orders on Thursday to lift restrictions in containment zones in the wards of nine grama panchayats in Vadakara block.
On September 13, containment zones restrictions were imposed in 58 wards of nine panchayats including Maruthonkara and Ayanchery - from where the two deceased victims hailed - following the outbreak of Nipah in the district.However, other general restrictions in the district, in view of Nipah vigil, will continue and people should wear masks and maintain social distancing norms.
Also, more relaxations have been announced in containment zones in all wards of Feroke municipality and the seven wards of Kozhikode Corporation which were declared as containment zones on September 15. All shops in containment zones in Feroke and Kozhikode corporation limits can now function till 8pm; banks and treasury in this region can function till 2pm.
Meanwhile, no new Nipah cases were reported for the sixth consecutive day with all 27 samples testing negative on Thursday. At present there are 981 persons in the contact list with one contact added to the list on Thursday. As many as 307 persons were removed from the contact list of Nipah patients following completion of the 21-day isolation period.
Health minister Veena George said that the condition of the nine-year-old boy, a Nipah patient who is undergoing treatment at a private hospital, has improved further. The boy is the son of the deceased index case, Mohammedali. The condition of three other patients is also satisfactory. The minister said that those who are in the contact list should continue their isolation for a span of 21 days.
Earlier, health department had directed people staying in containment zones and those who are in isolation to use the government's e-Sanjeevani telemedicine project. A special Nipah OP service was started under the project from 8am to 5pm. People from containment zones can consult doctors for normal health issues and clear doubts about Nipah using this facility.
On Wednesday, central and state teams collect samples from bats as part of source identification measures. Trap nets were laid at Devarkovil near Kuttiady to capture bats and take samples. Teams also collected samples from bats, wild boars, dogs and cats.
The district coordinator of the project for prevention of zoonotic diseases said the samples will be sent to National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases at Bhopal for testing.
ICMR on Wednesday had given permission to conduct TrueNat test for detecting Nipah. "With this, the government will be able to conduct tests in state labs and virus detected using TureNat tests will be sent for further testing in virology labs," the minister had said.
It was in 2018 that the Nipah was first reported in Kozhikode, in 2019 it was at Ernakulam, only to return to Kozhikode in 2021 and resurface in 2023.