Nipah virus: Another person dies in Kerala; collector bans public meets

Doctors and patients wear safety masks as a precautionary measure after the Nipah virus outbreak, at a Kozhikode medical college. Pic/PTI

With the death of one more patient, who tested positive for Nipah virus (NiV) on Thursday morning, the disease has claimed 12 lives in Kerala, officials said.

The death of Moosa was confirmed at a private hospital where he was being treated. Early this month, two of his sons and a relative also passed away. They were the first cases of NiV that were reported last week.

Meanwhile, though the incidence of patients coming for treatment with symptoms of NiV is on the decline, Kozhikode Collector U V Jose has banned till May 31 all public meetings and even training courses, including tuitions to avoid assembly of people.

The health department said on Thursday that a total of 160 samples were sent for testing to Pune. Of the 22 results that had come, 14 had tested positive. Meanwhile, the authorities have come out with a protocol to be carried out when the last rites of victims of NiV are carried out. While cremation is favoured as the best method to stop the further spread of infection, in case families opt for burial, the body will have to be covered in a polythene bag and then put into a very deep pit. The Kozhikode Medical College has 136 patients, while nearby Malappuram district has 24, who are under observation.