No official circular for Nipah vigil yet in border districts

At a time when Tamil Nadu has already asked its districts bordering Kerala for increased surveillance for Nipah and Zika infections, the Karnataka health department is yet to issue any circular to its districts bordering Kerala.

The joint director of the communicable diseases wing in the health department Dr Bhanumurthy told DH they’re awaiting guidelines from the Centre.

“We have verbally told district health officers of border districts to be vigilant,” he said.

But the initial generalistic symptoms of Nipah: fever, headaches, muscle pain, vomiting and sore throat, has made it difficult to identify suspect cases.

Unless it is followed by atypical acute respiratory distress or neurological signs like seizures, encephalitis and others, Nipah is not suspected.

Read | Health Ministry writes to Kerala and UP about Nipah virus outbreak and mysterious fever

District surveillance officer of Dakshina Kannada (which is already seeing a surge in Covid cases because of its proximity to the Kerala border) Dr Jagadeesha said there are ‘no active interventions at this hour’ (for Nipah) and that they’re ‘just alert and watchful’.

“IEC (information, education, and communication) activities are in place, like asking people to avoid areas where bats live and to avoid contact with a sick bat or pig. We’re asking people to avoid consumption of raw dal, palm sap and contaminated fruits,” he said.

Information has been relayed to private hospitals which cater mostly to Kerala patients to take proper clinical history of patients, the places they’ve visited, and if they have Nipah-related symptoms.

Kodagu, Mysuru and Chamarajanagar district surveillance officers and health officers did not respond to queries from DH on their respective surveillance activities, if any.