Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said recently that the state will carry out a seroprevalence study on the ongoing Nipah virus outbreaks because even the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has been unable to offer a conclusive reason for the outbreaks.

According to Vijayan, even the ICMR is unable to explain why the illness keeps reoccurring in Kozhikode. The state has made the decision to carry out a seroprevalence investigation in this regard. A thorough proposal for this has been requested from the health department.

Bat samples, which are the main reservoirs of the Nipah virus, will continue to be gathered and examined as part of the ongoing investigation, he said. Both the Institute of Advanced Virology Lab in Thonnakkal and the microbiology lab at Kozhikode Medical College will be used for the testing.

Speaking on the state’s efforts to track Nipah infections, the chief minister of Kerala stated that 304 samples had been taken from 994 individuals who were being monitored.

Vijayan claimed that even though the current outbreak is under control, the threat posed by the contagious disease still exists.

The possible occurrence of a second wave was also acknowledged by him, who said, health experts are of the opinion that the possibility of a second wave is very remote but cannot be completely ruled out.

The Chief Minister credited early diagnosis for the state health system’s success in halting the deadly virus’s spread. He did, though, voice his concern over the ambiguity surrounding the disease’s reappearance in Kozhikode.

Additionally, the chief minister promised that the government would pay for patients’ medical bills at private facilities. There are currently 1,286 people on the contact list, 276 of whom fall within the high-risk group. 122 of them are relatives and family members of the sick. Six people who tested positive out of 304 have results, bringing the total to 267.

In 2018 and 2021, the Kozhikode district was the site of reports of nipah cases.

The Kerala government on Wednesday declared containment zones in seven villages of the Kozhikode district after two deaths were reported in the area due to the Nipah virus.

According to authorities, seven villages have been declared containment zones in Kozhikode district. Some schools, banks and other institutions will remain closed till further order.

The affected area in Kozhikode district witnessed two deaths due to the Nipah virus, a rare and deadly brain-damaging virus. Due to this, authorities have shut down schools and offices in these seven villages.

According to reports, more than 130 people have been tested for the virus. Two persons have been found positive for the Nipah virus, including a minor, and have been admitted in hospital. The Nipah virus is transmitted to humans after coming into contact with the bodily fluids of infected bats, people, and pigs, as per the Kerala health minister official.

As per the reports, the two people infected, including a minor, are from the same family who lost two lives. 

According to officials, the federal government’s team, including the National Virology Institute arrived in Kerala today to conduct further testing in the cases to understand it further.  

In 1999, this Nipah virus came to notice for the first time in Malaysia and Singapore, which affected pig farmers and others who came in close contact with pigs. It is one of the dangerous viruses that damage the brain, which leads to the death of affected people.  

According to reports, there have been three more outbreaks took place in the past in Kerala since 2018. A young man who tested positive for the first time infected his family members too and later when he was admitted to hospital with fever and cough also infected other patients. 21 out of twenty three infected people lost their lives to the deadly virus.

There are parts of Kerala which have been considered the most sensitive areas globally for outbreaks of the virus as deforestation and urbanization in the state have ended the distance between people and wildlife, as per the reports.  

Malayalam actor Aparna Nair was found hanging at her residence in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram, police said on Friday. The 33-year-old actor was living with her husband and two children.   

According to police, the cine-serial actor has worked in a few movies and several serials, Nair was found hanging inside her room at her home near Karamana last night.

According to police, the incident occurred around 7:30 pm on August 31. Police received the information about the incident from a private hospital where she was admitted after she was found dead at her residence. Aparna is survived by her husband and their children, as per police.

As per the police officer, they received the information from the hospital about the incident and filed a case for unnatural death.  

Police further said it might be a case of suicide and a matter of investigation. The family’s issues may be the reason for this extreme step. Police have launched an investigation into the matter.

Aparna Nair in the initial days of her career, worked in Nivedyam in 2007. She was launched by filmmaker Lohithadas in the film. She made her career with great performances in TV shows such as Chandanamazha, Maithili Veendum Varun and Atmasakhi.

She never looked back in her career and worked in prominent movies like Chayamukhi with superstars Mohanlal and Mukesh. She made her Tamil debut with Edhuvam Nadakkum and played the role of Pooja in the year 2009. The deceased actor has worked in over 30 films and was last seen in a short film in 2022.

Recently, the news of Art Director Nitin Desai shocked the nation. Desai was found dead at his ND Studio in Khalapur Raigarh. Several reports have suggested that he had taken a loan from a bank of Rs 250 crore. He took the extreme step because of the financial crisis, which was going on for many days.