more-in The Central and State government authorities as well as the medical community have stepped up efforts to contain the threat of a possible outbreak of the Nipah virus infection, which has so far claimed at least four lives in Kozhikode district. One more person died due to the suspected infection of the virus on Monday. She has been identified as Lini, a 31-year-old nurse, attached to the Perambra taluk hospital. Lini was under treatment at the intensive care unit of the Institute of Chest Diseases of the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode. She was on duty when one of the deceased had undergone treatment at the taluk hospital. Her body was not handed over to relatives for fear of viral infection and was cremated at the electric crematorium, West Hill, with the consent of the family. Since May 5, three persons from a family at Sooppikkada village in the Changaroth grama panchayat limits, near Perambra, have died so far due to virus encephalitis and myocarditis. Three others, including the taluk hospital nurse, who were in close contact with the deceased, too have died in the past few days. The cause of one of them has been confirmed as Nipah viral infection. Till now, at least nine persons are under care and scrutiny for suspected infection. Also, three nurses who had attended on the virus-afflicted at EMS Memorial Cooperative Hospital, Perambra, have been admitted to the government medical college hospital with fever symptoms. They were initially at the Perambra taluk hospital. The lab results of the fiancee of one of the dead persons, who is undergoing treatment at Amrita Institute of Medical Science, Kochi, have proved negative. Meanwhile a team from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), which visited the area, termed it the “third major outbreak in the country”. The State government is reportedly planning to involve the World Health Organisation in the ongoing diagnosis and preventive work. A team from the AIIMS is expected to visit the State on Tuesday. After inspecting Sooppikkada village in Changaroth grama panchayat near Perambra, the native place of the deceased, Sujeet Kumar Singh, Director, NCDC, told the media that the infection and the subsequent deaths were “a little bit unusual” and “a cause for concern.”

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