Thiruvananthapuram | A 43-year-old man, who was critically ill after contracting the Nipah virus, was discharged from the Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode on Friday after making a full recovery, Kerala Health Minister K Muraleedharan said.
The Farook native, who had been on ventilator support for nearly one-and-a-half months, walked out of the hospital without assistance and had regained normal cognitive functions, including memory, according to an offiial statement.
Muraleedharan credited the patient's recovery to the coordinated efforts of the entire health department, from cleaning staff to doctors, and said every healthcare worker involved could take pride in saving the patient's life.
He also lauded health workers for ensuring that Kerala reported no Nipah-related deaths during the latest outbreak.
The patient first sought treatment at a private hospital in Farook on June 1 with fever, sore throat and body pain. Though discharged initially, he was readmitted on June 7 with fatigue, disorientation and slurred speech before being shifted to a private hospital in Kozhikode the next day.
His condition deteriorated on June 9, requiring ventilator support. Samples sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune later confirmed the Nipah infection, following which he was shifted to the Government Medical College Hospital on June 11.
The patient remained on ventilator support for about six weeks, during which specialists from cardiology, neurology, pulmonology and gastroenterology closely monitored his condition. He also underwent platelet and blood transfusions after developing low platelet and hemoglobin levels.
His condition gradually improved, enabling him to breathe on his own.
Repeated tests on throat and nasal swabs, blood and urine conducted at five-day intervals turned negative for the virus about three weeks later.
He was shifted out of the isolation ICU on July 4, moved to a hospital room on July 31 and discharged on Friday, the statement added.
