July 8, 2025: A Malappuram native died of the virus last week, raising concerns about the woman's critical condition. The condition of a Nipah virus-infected patient reported in north Kerala's Palakkad continued to remain critical, with state health minister Veena George saying that all possible treatment is being provided.
According to the news agency PTI, the 38-year-old woman from Thachanattukara is receiving treatment at the Government Medical College in Kozhikode. Concerns over the woman's critical condition were raised as a Malappuram native succumbed to the virus last week.
The health minister said that the woman has been given monoclonal antibody treatment according to the protocol, with the second dose administered on Monday morning.
"This is the first Nipah case reported in Palakkad. The patient's condition remains critical, but all available treatment is being provided," the minister told reporters after the meeting.
George said that a total of 173 contacts related to the woman have been identified, of whom 100 were primary and 73 secondary. Among them 52 are considered high-risk and 48 are low-risk, she added.
Five samples have tested negative so far, and four more will be tested at the Manjeri Medical College on Monday.
Meanwhile, a three-kilometre radius around the patient's house has been declared a containment zone, with strict surveillance being carried out by the district police chief and district collector.
The minister issued a warning that strict action would be taken against those who spread false information about the virus outbreak after presiding over a high-level review meeting that was held at the Palakkad Medical College and was attended by senior health officials, the district collector, and the police chief. It was determined on Saturday that the 18-year-old girl who died had the Nipah infection. The patient from Malappuram's Chettiyarangadi succumbed after receiving treatment at a private hospital in Kozhikode.
Initial tests suggested Nipah and the infection was subsequently confirmed by Pune's National Institute of Virology (NIV).
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that the Nipah virus is a zoonotic disease that can spread from animals to humans, through contaminated food, or even directly from one person to another. The virus causes a range of illnesses in infected people, from asymptomatic infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis. Nipah can also cause severe disease in animals such as pigs, resulting in significant economic losses for farmers.