Kozhikode in panic mode after Nipah reported in urban area

The Kozhikode beach wears a deserted look on Saturday as the police had advised people to stay indoors.
| Photo Credit: K. Ragesh

For the first time, a positive case of Nipah infection surfaced in Kozhikode city, marking a precarious shift from its previous two occurrences in the rural areas of the district.

What is more, all the 38 wards of the Feroke municipality, a part of the Calicut Urban Agglomeration and sharing borders with the Kozhikode Corporation, have been virtually locked down for the first time, even though no positive cases have been reported there. Seven divisions, namely, Kolathara, Kundayithode, Cheruvannur East, Cheruvannur West, Beypore Port, Beypore and Punchappadam of Kozhikode Corporation, have also been declared as containment zones.

Back in 2018, when the Nipah outbreak was initially reported in Perambra, about 40 km from the city, people led normal lives outside without much restrictions in urban areas. However, now, the entire district is on high alert because the disease has been confirmed to have spread around the hospital in Kozhikode city where the index patient was admitted.

Expressing concern, S. Jayasree, Health standing committee chairperson of Kozhikode Corporation, said that widespread panic existed among the public in Cheruvannur and Beypore regions. “Besides staying alert, our top priority is reducing panic and raising public awareness,“ she said.

She pointed out that the public failed to realise that unlike COVID, Nipah virus does not spread rapidly, even though it is fatal. “We have been making announcements in containment zones, reassuring people that there is no need to panic and that they should only test for Nipah infection if they develop symptoms,” Ms. Jayasree added.

Apart from the containment zones, even the heart of the city and the beach were deserted on Saturday with the police advising people to stay indoors. The one patient who tested positive in the city was on the contact list of one of the first two victims. Since the disease did not originate in the city, the civic body is focusing on strict quarantine for those on the contact list.

Ms. Jayasree said, “We have set up a desk in the Corporation office, led by a Junior Health Inspector, to provide guidance to those seeking help. We have also ensured an ample supply of safety kits and other equipment.”

Meanwhile, Feroke municipality chairman N.C. Abdul Razak said that the civic body was locked down as the patient tested positive in the city was first admitted at a hospital in Feroke. “He is suspected to have infected some hospital employees before being transferred to Kozhikode Government Medical College. Hence, we did not want to take any chances,” he said.