A month after the Nipah outbreak in Kozhikode, the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has confirmed the presence of Nipah antibody in 12 bat samples collected from Maruthonkara. Health Minister Veena George said she has received an email from ICMR confirming it. She was addressing the media at Wayand after visiting government hospitals.
The presence of the antibody confirmed that the bats were the source of the Nipah outbreak in Kozhikode, she said.
A team from ICMR, which visited Kozhikode, collected bat samples with the help of experts from the animal husbandry department.
Kerala was on high alert after Kozhikode reported two deaths due to Nipah infection in September. Several places in the districts were declared containment zones and the health department and the district authority strictly implemented preventive measures.
