Thiruvananthapurm, July 5 (Reporter) In view of one death due to Nipah and another person testing positive for the virus, the Kerala Health Department has prepared a Nipah contact list comprising 345 individuals in the state. The state's health department has activated emergency containment protocols across three districts: Malappuram, Palakkad, and Kozhikode. Health Minister Veena George stated yesterday that 211 people are from Malappuram, 91 from Palakkad and 43 from Kozhikode and all of them are healthcare workers. The current Nipah suspicion pertains to individuals in the Palakkad and Malappuram districts. The state's health department has sprang into action, tracing contacts and implementing emergency protocols to contain the spread of the virus. Following the detection of the virus in tests conducted at the medical colleges in Malappuram and Kozhikode, samples have been sent to the Pune Virology Institute for confirmation. One patient undergoing treatment in Palakkad has tested positive. The patient’s route map has been published. Even before confirmation, preventive measures were intensified in accordance with protocol. Alert advisories have been issued in Kozhikode, Malappuram, and Palakkad districts in connection with the two confirmed Nipah cases. Experts have advised against using firecrackers or other methods to scare away bats. Kerala has experienced multiple Nipah outbreaks in the past - in 2018, 2021, 2023, and 2024- all marked by high fatality rates. Hospitals and healthcare institutions have been directed to strengthen contact tracing and ensure no one is left unidentified in the contact list. The availability of protective equipment in hospitals must be ensured. Efforts to trace the source of the infection should also be intensified, and route maps should be released without delay. Symptoms in the two confirmed Nipah cases first appeared on the 25th and 26th of last month. Information will be collected from the affected areas going back three weeks. Authorities will also investigate whether any deaths occurred during that period due to encephalitis or pneumonia. State and district control rooms have been set up. In each of the three affected districts, 26 committees have been formed. The contact list is being prepared with assistance from the police. District collectors in two regions have declared containment zones, where mask-wearing is now mandatory...////...