Kerala health authorities issued an alert across several districts in the northern part of the state after two people showed possible symptoms of the Nipah virus infection. Kerala had faced an earlier outbreak of the Nipah virus disease in 2018.
After the suspected cases were flagged during routine testing at government medical colleges in Malappuram and Palakkad, officials issued an alert in both the districts and Kozhikode, with 26 special teams deployed in each of them to carry out contact tracing, monitor symptoms and inform the public.
According to a PTI report, samples were immediately rushed to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for confirmation.
Kerala health minister Veena George after chairing an emergency meeting to assess the situation, confirmed that preventive measures have been strengthened in line with the Nipah protocol. She added that the ministry has sought help from the police to identify people who may have been exposed to the patients.
The ministry is setting up state and local helplines to assist the public. Officials are also urged to check if any unnatural or unexplained deaths have occurred in recent weeks. George termed deaths as “one of the key warning signs of a potential outbreak”.
{{/usCountry}}The ministry is setting up state and local helplines to assist the public. Officials are also urged to check if any unnatural or unexplained deaths have occurred in recent weeks. George termed deaths as “one of the key warning signs of a potential outbreak”.
{{/usCountry}}District collectors have also been asked to prepare containment zones, with public announcements being made to raise awareness.
The ministry is scheduled to hold another meeting this evening, aiming to discuss the evolving situation and ensure that all precautionary measures are in place.
According to a report by the World Health Organization, the Nipah virus disease outbreak was reported in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts of Kerala in May 2018. It was the third of Nipah virus outbreaks in India, the earlier being in 2001 and 2007, both in West Bengal. During the 2018 Kerala outbreak, a total of 23 cases were identified.