KOZHIKODE: On Wednesday, the Kerala state government announced that teams from the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune are set to establish a mobile laboratory at Kozhikode Medical College for conducting Nipah virus tests. Additionally, these teams will also conduct a comprehensive survey focusing on bats.
Kerala's Health Minister, Veena George, emphasized that the strain of the Nipah virus detected in Kerala is the Bangladesh variant, which is known to transmit from human to human and carries a high mortality rate, despite causing fewer infections.
In addition to the NIV Pune team, a group of epidemiologists from Chennai will also arrive in Kerala today to carry out an extensive survey. The Indian Council of Medical Research has pledged to provide the necessary monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of Nipah patients, as stated by Minister George during a session in the state assembly.
Minister George was responding to a question posed by CPI MLA P Balachandran during the Question-Answer session, inquiring about the measures taken to address the Nipah virus outbreak, which has resulted in two fatalities and two other confirmed cases in Kozhikode.
She elucidated, "The Health Department has undertaken numerous measures to curtail the spread of this neurotropic virus, including intensive surveillance, contact tracing, risk categorization, the establishment of isolation facilities, containment zone delineation, and procurement of medicines from ICMR for those afflicted."
This response comes in light of the recent confirmation of Nipah virus infections in four individuals in Kozhikode district, leading to the declaration of seven village panchayats—Atanchery, Maruthonkara, Tiruvallur, Kuttiyadi, Kayakkodi, Villyapalli, and Kavilumpara, as containment zones.
Kerala's Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, has urged the public not to panic and to adhere to precautionary measures. He emphasized, "It is imperative that everyone strictly follows the directives issued by the health department and the police, cooperating fully with the imposed restrictions."
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