Kerala government confirms one case of Nipah virus in Kochi, assures preparedness

 Kerala Health Minister K K Shailaja has confirmed one case of Nipah in Kochi on Tuesday.

A 23-year-old man from Ernakulam has been confirmed to be infected with Nipah virus and has been mitted to Kalamassery Medical College, while three ors have been quarantined. Out of four persons who are suspected to be infected, two are nurses, one is a relative of confirmed victim while  or is an acquaintance.

Kerala Health Minister, K K Shailaja, however, asked people t to panic as government h started with all precautionary measures even before case was confirmed.

Here are Kerala Health Minister's tweets:

Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said that a team of six officers has alrey been sent to Kerala.

Here is tweet:

state health department confirmed Nipah case after receiving test results from National Virology Institute in Pune.

Those who are believed to have been in contact with patient have been kept under observation and y are asked to report to nearest medical facility if y develop influenza-like symptoms like fever, heache, myalgia (muscle pain), vomiting and sore throat. health department is on standby to handle any verse situation.

Kerala government has also stocked up necessary medicines. An isolation ward has been prepared at Ernakulam Medical College.

This is second outbreak of Nipah virus in Kerala. first outbreak of Nipah Virus was in 2018, which claimed 17 lives.

 index case of first outbreak in Kerala was reported at a sub-divisional hospital in Kozhikode district on May 2, 2018.   patient, Mohammed Sabith was n taken to  Government Medical College, Kozhikode for furr treatment where he later succumbed to virus.  

Nipah virus spres from animals to humans and n to or humans. Fruit-eating bats of family Pteropodidae were identified as primary source of infection and people were vised t to consume fruits partly eaten by bats. outbreak was localized in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts of Kerala and was contained and declared over on June 10, 2018. 

(With ANI inputs)