The district administration has imposed restrictions on social gatherings and made face masks mandatory in Malappuram district after a 24-year-old man from Naduvath, near Wandoor, succumbed to the deadly Nipah virus.
Five wards in Tiruvali and Mampad grama panchayats have been declared containment zones. Schools, colleges, madrasas, anganwadis and cinema halls in these zones will remain closed until the Nipah restrictions are lifted.
District Collector V.R. Vinod has advised the people to wear mask in public places. Students and teachers in schools and colleges in the district should wear mask on the campus.
The victim was a student in Bengaluru. Fifteen classmates who attended his funeral have been placed under observation. As many as 175 people who had contact with the victim have been quarantined. As many as 74 of them are health workers.
Health Minister Veena George said here on Monday that 126 of them were on primary contact list and 49 on secondary contact list. As many as 104 of those on primary contact list were in high risk category, said Ms. George. Ten of them were under treatment at Government Medical College Hospital, Manjeri. Serum samples of 13 people have been collected for testing and the results are awaited, said the Minister.
The Health Department has opened a Nipah control room. Anyone showing symptoms, especially from the Tiruvali, Wandoor and Mampad areas, should reach out to the control room at 0483 2732010 or 2732060.
Wards 4, 5, 6 and 7 of Tiruvali panchayat and Ward 7 of Mampad panchayat have been declared containment zones. Mr. Vinod said that all gatherings in these zones should be avoided. Shops and business establishments there will be permitted to function from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
District Medical Officer R. Renuka said that anyone with symptoms of fever and related diseases should not resort to self-medication. They should seek treatment from a doctor instead. Fruits fallen off trees and suspected to have been touched by birds and bats should not be eaten, she said.
The Health Department on Monday released the route map of the Nipah victim from the day he started showing symptoms on September 4. He had stayed at home on September 4 and 5. On September 6, he visited Fasil Clinic between 11.30 a.m. and 12 midday in his car, then Babu Ayurveda Clinic between 7.30 p.m. and 7.45 p.m., and JMC Clinic at Wandoor between 8.15 p.m. and 10.30 p.m.
On September 7, he visited the Nilambur police station between 9.20 a.m. and 9.30 a.m. in an autorickshaw, and NIMS Hospital, Wandoor, at 7.45 p.m. He was at NIMS Hospital ICU from 8.25 p.m. to 1 p.m. on September 8. He reached M.E.S. Medical College Hospital, Perinthalmanna, on September 8 afternoon, where he died on September 9 morning.
Health workers in 66 teams have begun surveying all houses within three kilometre radius from the victimโs house. As many as 1,928 houses were reached out on Monday.
Published – September 16, 2024 08:39 pm IST
