By Shalini Bhardwaj
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], July 5 : The Central Surveillance Unit of Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is in close contact with the State unit Kerala and is actively monitoring the situation after two cases of Nipah Virus Disease were detected by Kerala IDSP.
According to official sources, the deployment of a National Joint Outbreak Response Team (NJORT) is being considered.
"The Central Surveillance Unit of IDSP, NCDC, is in close contact with the State unit and is actively monitoring the situation. The deployment of a National Joint Outbreak Response Team (NJORT) is being considered. The State Control Room has been activated for coordinating the various containment activities," sources told ANI.
As per official sources, one positive case is of Bishara Nehrin, an 18-year-old female resident of Mallapuram District. The place of residence is rural, with a nearby forested area and fruit orchards reportedly frequented by Fruit bats. The patient succumbed to the illness on July 1 2025.
"The post-mortem samples (Serum, CSF, NPS & lung tissue) were sent to Regional VRDL in GMC, Kozhikode on 2nd July and were reported positive by RT-PCR," they added.
Informing about the other case, sources stated that Hasanath, a 38-year-old female and resident of Pallakad district ."The patient is presently admitted to a private hospital in Mallapuram and is on ventilatory support. The samples sent to NIV Pune on 4th July 2025 were confirmed to be positive for NiVD Public Health Response."
The official sources further said that more than 300 contacts have been identified thus far in 3 districts: Pallakad, Mallapuram and Kozhikode.