Health authorities in Kerala have been placed on high alert after a preliminary test for Nipah virus infection turned positive for a 43-year-old man in Kozhikode.
The initial test was conducted at the Government Medical College Hospital Kozhikode. Samples have since been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for confirmation, with final results expected shortly.
The patient, a businessman from Feroke, was initially admitted to a private hospital before being shifted to the Government Medical College Hospital on Wednesday after his condition worsened. He is currently on ventilator support.
The Health Department has launched extensive contact-tracing measures and begun efforts to identify and isolate all those who may have been exposed to the patient. Authorities are also preparing a detailed route map to track his movements and potential contacts.
Kerala Health Minister K. Muraleedharan has convened a meeting with health officials on Thursday to assess the situation.
“The NIV result is awaited for final confirmation. Based on the symptoms and preliminary test, it points to Nipah,” the minister said, adding that the patient had come into contact with a large number of people.
According to the minister, the patient had visited the outpatient department of a hospital and later underwent MRI and echocardiography examinations, increasing the number of potential contacts.
“We have asked healthcare workers and others who may have been exposed to remain in quarantine,” he said.
Nipah virus is primarily transmitted by fruit bat, although the exact source of the infection in this case remains unclear. Officials are investigating whether the patient may have contracted the virus while cleaning a recently rented warehouse.
“The patient had recently rented a godown and cleaned it himself. We suspect he may have contracted the infection during that process,” Muraleedharan said.
