Nipah Survivor Discharged After Over 2 Months Of Treatment In Kerala

A 43-year-old Nipah survivor walked out of Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital on Friday after more than two months of treatment, marking a remarkable recovery from a severe infection.

The Farook native had spent nearly six weeks on a ventilator after his condition turned critical. He later began breathing on his own and was moved out of the isolation ICU on July 4.

He first sought treatment on June 1 with fever, sore throat and body pain. After being discharged, he returned on June 7 with fatigue, disorientation and slurred speech. His condition worsened on June 9, and doctors put him on ventilator support.

Tests by the National Institute of Virology, Pune confirmed Nipah. Doctors treated him with ribavirin and monoclonal antibodies. Remdesivir was also brought from Bahrain after it was not available in India.

The patient developed low platelet and haemoglobin levels and needed blood and platelet transfusions. Specialists from neurology, cardiology, pulmonology and gastroenterology closely monitored him.

His repeated virus tests later turned negative. Doctors also found that his memory and cognitive functions had returned to normal. He was shifted to a regular room on July 31 and discharged on Friday, walking without help.

The recovery came as Kerala contained the outbreak. Authorities lifted Nipah surveillance in Ramanattukara after 42 days without a new case, while no Nipah-related death was reported in the latest outbreak.