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Nipah virus confirmed in a critical Kozhikode patient. Enhanced surveillance and contact tracing are underway, with initial infection suspected from a godown environment.
Human-to-human hantavirus spread is rare, and diagnostic capacity is adequate, he said.
Health Minister Veena George said samples from 13 individuals on the contact list have been sent for testing.
The centre is expected to lead the research on the transmission of the virus and analyse data.
According to the health minister, the patient who died on Monday night contracted the virus from the private hospital where patient zero was admitted.
The four-member team also visited the house of the index patient, who died on August 30.
Since the death of a boy in Chathamangalam in 2021, experts have been conducting annual visits to Kozhikode.
The health department said a bite to the head was possible cause of death of the 12-year-old in Pathanamthitta, who had been administered three doses of rabies vaccination.
With this, the number of confirmed zika infections in Kerala has risen to 18. Test results of 26 suspected samples have returned negative.
The virus strain isolated at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) laboratory in Pune will be used to develop the vaccine.
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