The Karnataka health ministry on Thursday issued a circular in view of the Nipah virus outbreak in neighbouring Kerala, and advised the general public to avoid unnecessary travel to affected areas of the southern state. The health department also instructed officials to intensify surveillance in the districts that share a border with Kerala, which are namely, Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada, Chamrajanagara and Mysuru.
Nipah is a bat-borne, zoonotic virus with a high mortality rate. (File photo)
“In view of reporting of 4 confirmed Nipah cases with 2 deaths in Kozhikode district of Kerala state, the surveillance activities in the districts bordering Kerala State need to be intensified to prevent the transmission of the infection,” the ministry said in the circular.
The department issued guidelines to healthcare officials across the state to prevent spread of infection and undertake surveillance activities.
Some of these include setting up of check posts for fever surveillance at point of entries from Karnataka to Kerala, especially in border districts, raising awareness among the public regarding the disease and avoiding unnecessary panic, training health staff right up to Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) level, reserving at least two beds in district hospitals for quarantining patients suspected to have Nipah, and identifying negative pressure ICUs, among others.
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Some of these include setting up of check posts for fever surveillance at point of entries from Karnataka to Kerala, especially in border districts, raising awareness among the public regarding the disease and avoiding unnecessary panic, training health staff right up to Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) level, reserving at least two beds in district hospitals for quarantining patients suspected to have Nipah, and identifying negative pressure ICUs, among others.
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The health department also advised the public as well as health staff to avoid unnecessary travel to Kerala.
Dakshina Kannada district sounds Nipah alert
The Dakshina Kannada district sounded an alert on Wednesday after confirmation of Nipah cases in Kerala, with health officials instructing local police to open check posts at border points.
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The district prepared itself with isolation wards at key healthcare facilities and took other precautionary measures to contain the spread of the virus.
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.
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