On Tuesday, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya confirmed that the Nipah virus was the cause of the two “unnatural deaths” that were reported from Kerala’s Kozhikode district. According to Mandaviya, a central team of specialists has been dispatched to Kerala to assess the situation and assist the state government in managing the Nipah virus infection.
One of the deceased and four of his kin provided the National Institute of Virology in Pune with samples for testing. After two deaths were thought to have been caused by the Nipah virus, a health alert was issued for the entire district on Monday.
Control Room Established In Kozhikode
The Kerala government, in the meantime, has set up a control room in Kozhikode and encouraged individuals to involve covers as a careful step.
“We have opened a control room here. To organize the careful steps, we have framed 16 advisory groups and every one of the medical clinics and the wellbeing laborers have been told to follow the disease control convention including wearing of PPE packs,” Kerala wellbeing clergyman Veena George said.
She likewise prompted against pointless medical clinic visits.
Kerela CM Said All Things Are In Control
In a video message earlier in the day, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan stated that the state government takes the deaths of the two very seriously. The main clergyman encouraged individuals to practice alertness and said there was no great explanation to stress as the people who were in close contact with the departed were under treatment.
The first Nipah virus (NiV) outbreak in south India was reported from Kozhikode on May 19, 2018.
What is Nipah virus?
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that the Nipah virus is a zoonotic disease that spreads from animals to people. It can also spread through contaminated food or directly from one person to another.
It can cause anything from asymptomatic (subclinical) infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis in infected individuals. According to WHO, the virus can also cause severe disease in animals like pigs, causing farmers to lose a lot of money.