Kerala geared up to contain Nipah

Kerala has geared up to contain the spread of Nipah virus infection after one case of Nipah fever was confirmed by the National Institute of Virology, Pune, on Monday.

However, the source of the infection which affected the 23-year-old person in Kochi remained untraced, which has kept the health authorities on toes.

As many as 300 persons in various parts of the state who were in touch with the youth over the last couple of weeks were kept under observation and were advised not to be in contact with others.

Four persons, including a nurse, had slight fever and were shifted to isolation wards. Blood samples collected from them would also be sent for tests, health department sources said.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has offered to help in all ways, including medicines and services of expert doctors. A team of doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences was also deputed to Kerala.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Health Minister K K Shylaja said that all necessary steps like isolation wards in hospitals have been set up to contain the spread of disease as well as to provide expert medical care. The condition of the youth, hailing from North Paravur in Kochi, was said to be stable.

There was a Nipah outbreak in Kerala in 2018 that claimed 17 lives. The steps taken to contain the spread of the disease were hailed globally. The government was now following the same protocol, said health department sources.

Efforts were on since Sunday to trace the source of the virus. The youth who was studying in Thodupuzha in Idukki district had attended a training programme in Thrissur district. The health authorities of these two districts ruled out the chances of the infection from these places after inspections.

Meanwhile, the state animal husbandry department has deputed teams to examine the source of the infection. Checks would be conducted at pig farms and fruit bats that are the major sources of the virus.

The fresh Nipah case came to light after the youth suffered from fever, cough and headache over the last couple of weeks, despite treatment. Subsequently tests for Nipah were conducted and found positive. Nipah outbreaks were earlier reported in India in West Bengal in 2001 and 2007.