Nipah Virus Outbreak in Malappuram: One Dead, Many More at Risk as Health Department Steps Up Efforts
A man who traveled from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Kerala, India recently has been taken to the hospital because he got sick with monkeypox. He had been feeling unwell and was staying at home by himself, but his condition got worse and he needed to go to the hospital.
The health minister of Kerala, Veena George, said that the man’s samples are being tested to confirm if he has monkeypox. At the same time, the health department is taking extra precautions in some areas of Malappuram district because a person recently died from Nipah virus.
The health department has put up special zones around some areas where people might have been in contact with the person who died from Nipah virus. So far, 13 people who were at high risk of getting Nipah virus have tested negative for it. The person who died from Nipah virus had been in contact with 175 people, including 74 health workers, and 104 of them are considered high-risk. Ten people who had been in contact with the person are also in the hospital with symptoms of Nipah virus.