Kadaba: Young nurse who cared for Nipah virus patient in coma since 8 months

In a heart-wrenching incident that has come to light late, a nurse from Kadaba who cared for a Nipah virus-infected patient has been in a coma for the past eight months.

Titto Thomas (24), son of Thomas T.C., a resident of Thumbya near Mardhala in Aithoor village of Kadaba taluk, is now battling between life and death.

A B.Sc. Nursing graduate, Titto Thomas has been working as a nurse at IQRAA International Hospital and Research Centre in Calicut, Kerala, since 2023. It is reported that he cared for a Nipah virus patient in September 2023. Two months later, while in quarantine, he started experiencing severe headaches. A scan in December revealed a brain stroke, and he slipped into a coma the next day.

Despite the treatment provided by the hospital administration, there has been no improvement in Titto’s health in the last eight months. When the family enquired, the administration stated that they had already spent Rs. 40 lakh on his treatment and that it would be difficult to continue without any improvement.

The family has approached the Kerala government, urging them to admit Titto to a medical facility for advanced treatment, and are awaiting a response.

Titto’s father, mother, and brother, who was working in a private company in Bengaluru, have left their jobs to stay with him in the hospital for the past eight months. The fact that a young graduate nurse, who once cared for a patient, now needs care himself for the past eight months has deeply distressed the family and posed a challenge to the medical community.

Titto’s brother said that despite waiting in hope for his recovery since he slipped into a coma eight months ago, the family has now been compelled to bring this to the government’s attention due to the lack of progress. They have resigned from their jobs out of necessity to stay at the hospital. With the Kerala government’s support for advanced treatment, Titto’s life can be saved, he adds.