Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government on Wednesday (October 25) cited an ICMR report and said that there was a presence of Nipah virus in bats in the Wayanad district of the state, however, added that there was no need to panic. State Health Minister Veena George said that the Indian Council of Medical Research shared the information based on its studies of the bat samples collected by it. “ICMR has said that it has found the presence of the virus in bats in Wayanad. It is a continuation of the ecosystem there,” George said.
The Kozhikode district of the state, which is adjacent to the Wayanad district, witnessed an outbreak of the Nipah virus earlier this year in which six persons were infected, out of whom two had died.
The Minister said that there was no need for the people to be afraid or panic as the information was only being passed on to the public to create awareness and to make people cautious and vigilant.
Government takes action
She said that the healthcare activities related to the virus were being organised and the medical professionals were being provided training to deal with the suspected cases of the Nipah infections.
She said the Nipah virus infection was possible anywhere across India, but since it was detected in bats in Wayanad “they informed us and we are strengthening the preventive measures.”
“But there is no need to panic. It is only meant to create awareness,” she said.
George said that all those people who were on the contact list of the infected ones had completed their isolation periods.
She also said that it was a matter of pride that the state was able to restrict Nipah’s mortality rate, which is around 70-90 per cent, to 33 per cent.
Government’s measures to restrict the virus
The Minister cited various measures taken by the state government to combat the virus including issuance of Kozhikode-specific standard operating protocols (SOPs), creation of Kerala One Health Centre for Nipah Research.
“Presently, there will be a consolidation of the field activities of all departments with regard to public health and it will be a part of the Kozhikode Medical College,” she said.
Of the two deaths due to Nipah, the first person who died on August 30 was found to be the index case, or patient zero, from whom others caught the infection. The outbreak of the virus this year was the fourth in the state since 2018.
(With PTI inputs)