Kerala Nipah Virus: All schools, colleges in Kozhikode shut till 24 September, 1,080 people in contact list of infected

With the rising cases of Nipah virus in Kerala, all educational institutes in Kozhikode, including schools, professional colleges, tuition centres, will remain shut till 24 September. Announcing the order, the district administration said online classes will, however, be held throughout the week for students in Kozhikode. Contact list of infected people shoots up Veena George, the health minister of Kerala, said the contact list of infected people has increased 1,080, while 130 new people have been included in the list on Friday alone. Of this 327 are health workers, she said. A total of 29 people in other districts are in the contact list of Nipah-infected people. Among them, 22 are from Malappuram, one from Wayanad and three each from Kannur and Thrissur, said Veena George. In the high-risk category, 175 are common people and 122 are healthcare workers. Nipah virus cases likely to go up in Kerala The Health Minister further informed that the number of people in the contact list is likely to increase as the test result of the person who died on 30 August has come out positive, making it the index case of Nipha in the district. As many as 17 people who had attended the cremation of the man who died on 30 August were put under isolation. Four of the active cases are undergoing treatment in hospitals. All hospitals treating Nipah cases should form a medical board to meet twice a day and should hand over the report to the health department. The district collector has issued orders regarding this on the basis of the infectious disease control protocols of the state. With inputs from ANI