The Union health ministry has rushed a central team of experts to Kerala to take stock of the situation and assist the state government in Nipah virus disease management after two such deaths were confirmed in Kozhikode district on Tuesday.
Union health and family welfare minister Mansukh Mandaviya, in a press briefing in Delhi, also said that four more Nipah cases are suspected in the state and are being closely monitored.
“I have spoken to the health minister of Kerala. There have been reports of this virus several times this season. Cases are coming up. This virus is spread by bats. A guideline has been prepared by the health ministry regarding this so that we can take precautions,” said Mandaviya.
The two cases have been confirmed by India’s apex virology laboratory - the Indian Council of Medical Research’s National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune. The state government had sent five samples to NIV for confirmation after two “unnatural deaths” were reported from Kozhikode district on Monday. The samples included that of one of the deceased and four of his kin.
“Kerala has a well-oiled machinery as far as disease surveillance is concerned which is why the presence of viral diseases is detected in time. Also, because of timely detection, the state is also able to check the spread,” said a senior official from the National Centre for Disease Control.
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