Kerala health minister KK Shailaja said on Tuesday that four more people had showed signs of fever, after she confirmed a 23-year-old student in Kochi had Nipah virus.
A 23-year-old college student’s blood samples of the student were tested at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune, which confirmed Nipah, she said.
Of the four people who have fever, two were nurses involved the in the treatment of the patient and two others were students who had been with patient during his internship in Thrissur, The NewsMinute reported.
The nurses are being treated after they complained of fever and throat discomfort, the TNM report said. They will shifted to an isolation ward, Mathrubhumi said.
Mathrubhumi also reported that the patient’s friend is at an isolation ward in Kalamassery Medical College and a relative is under observation at his home. Samples from them will be sent for testing.
The four are among the 86 people are under medical observation.
Shailaja said the condition of the student, who is being treated at a private hospital, is stable and he was not put under any support system like ventilator.
“Good care is being given to the patient. The patient sometimes become restless due to fever...We expect a good result,” she said.
The Minister urged people not to panic and take precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the disease.
“We have confidence that we can face it. We have faced it in Kozhikode last year and contained it,” she said trying to instil confidence among people.
(With PTI inputs)