Monoclonal Antibody, Only Treatment Against Nipah Infection, Reaches Kerala

The monoclonal antibody required to treat the Nipah virus infection has arrived in the state, Kerala said today.

A meeting was held between the Principal Secretary of the Health Department and the Union Health Ministry earlier in the day and now the monoclonal antibody has arrived, state Health Minister Veena George said.

The stability of the medicine, which is yet to be clinically proven but is the only available antiviral treatment for the Nipah virus infection, was discussed with a central expert committee, she said.

"Further steps or course of action will be decided by the expert committee," she added.

Earlier in the day, the Minister told the state Assembly that there is no need to be apprehensive about the Nipah outbreak in Kozhikode, but people must be cautious during their daily activities.

"There is no need for any apprehensions. We can deal with the issue with caution," she said in a statement in the Assembly.

The brain-damaging virus has killed two people and infected three others in the state's Kozhikode district.

On Wednesday, a 24-year-old health worker became the state's fifth confirmed Nipah case since its recent outbreak.

Of the three infected persons under treatment, the condition of a nine-year-old boy continues to remain critical.

Following the outbreak, all educational institutions in Kozhikode are closed today and will remain shut tomorrow, Kozhikode's District Collector A Geetha announced in a Facebook post and said educational institutions can conduct classes online on these days.

However, there will be no change in the schedule of University exams, she added.

A 24-hour control room was set up in the neighbouring district of Wayanad following the outbreak in Kozhikode. The Wayanad district administration has also constituted 15 core committees to lead the prevention and surveillance activities and effectively deal with emergency situations.

The virus strain seen in the state is the Bangladesh variant that spreads from human to human and has a high mortality rate even though it is less infectious, the government said.

The WHO and ICMR studies have found that entire Kerala is prone to getting such infections, not just Kozhikode.

People in the forested areas have to take the highest precautions, it said, adding that the latest case of the Nipah virus originated within five kilometres of a jungle area.

Around 11 wards were declared as containment zones in Kozhikode district till Wednesday evening.