Malappuram/Palakkad (Kerala) | Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Sunday said that there are 383 people in the contact lists of the two persons infected with the Nipah virus in the state.

Of those on the contact list, 12 people are under treatment in Malappuram district with five in the ICU and four are being treated in isolation in Palakkad district, the minister said in a statement after chairing a high-level meeting.

The recent death of an 18-year-old girl in Malappuram district was confirmed as Nipah infection, while a 38-year-old woman from Thachanattukara in Palakkad district also tested positive for the virus.

In the statement, the minister said that home visits and fever surveillance are being conducted with more ICU and isolation facilities being ensured in the two districts in anticipation of an increase in patients requiring treatment.

In Palakkad, health workers visited over two thousand homes to collect information, the district administration said.

It also said that in view of a confirmed case of Nipah in the district, the public should be vigilant, those in containment zones should not gather in groups unnecessarily, people should wear N95 masks and avoid travel out of the restricted areas.

The additional precautionary measures include strictly following quarantine standards, frequently disinfecting hands and informing health workers if showing symptoms of illness such as fever, cough, headache and shortness of breath, among others.