What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
KOZHIKODE/NEW DELHI: Following the Virology Institue of Pune confirming the presence of the Nipah virus in the two deceased in Kozhikode, Kerala, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya confirmed the virus outbreak in the state, assuring that a team would be sent to investigate further, on Tuesday.
“I spoke with the Kerala Health Minister and he confirmed as well that two people had died of the Nipah virus. We are still waiting for the results of four other suspected samples which have been sent to the lab,” said Mandaviya.
As of now, Kerala health department has issued a district-wide health alert throughout Kozhikode, advising people to wear masks at all times to prevent the spread of the disease. Moreover, the Pinarayi Vijayan government has issued a directive forming a control room in the affected district.
Advising against unnecessary hospital visits, Kerala health minister, Veena George said, “We have opened a control room here. To coordinate the precautionary measures, we have formed 16 committees and all the hospitals and the health workers have been instructed to follow the infection control protocol including wearing of PPE kits.”
The Nipah virus infection is a zoonotic illness that is transmitted to people from animals and can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly from person-to-person. Among infected people, it causes a range of illnesses, from asymptomatic (subclinical) infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis. The virus can also cause severe disease in animals such as pigs, resulting in significant economic losses for farmers, according to the World Health Organisation.
Both of the deceased had been initially declared dead of unknown circumstances, however, later it was ascertained that their illness had been brought about by the Nipah virus.
