BY DEBAJYOTI CHAKRABORTY
KOLKATA, 15 SEPTEMBER 2023:
The Karnataka government and the rajasthan government has issued alert in wake of the Nipah virus break out in Kozhikode district in Kerala. So far six people have tested positive out of which two persons have already died.
A 39 year old man is the latest persosn to be tested positive.
The Karnataka Government has issued travel advisory and has urged its residents not to travel to Kerala if it is not necessary. It has also directed the authority to the soutern districts to remain alert and keep a tab on the situation and inform the government of the updates.
Check posts for fever surveiilance at entry points from Karnataka to Kera ahas been set up. The Fever surveillance has been intensified in the bordering districts of Chamaranagar, Mysore, Kodagu, Dakhsin Kannada will continue till further orders.
The Rajasthan Government has also issued alert and has directed the health department to keep a tab of peoples who have recently visited the affected zones. “ We have urged to remain alert and watch the people with a recent travel history to Kozhikode,”said Director , public health, Dr.Ravi Prakash Mathur.
The Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research, Dr. Rajeev Bahl said that the mortality rate of NiV is very high ( 30 to 70%) compared to Covid -19, which is barely between 3 to 4%.
“ So far all the infected people came in contact with one INDEX patient. The governemnt has ordered to procure 20 monoclonal antibodies. So far only ten monoclonal antibodies are avaialble,”he added.
In the containment zones parks, places of worssips, schools and colleges have been closed. The Kerala goverrnment has urged all the people to wear masks and not to go outside without any necessity in the containment zones.
Surveiilance of bats have also started by the Kerala forest department. Fruit eating bats spread the Nipah virus. With change in habitat and ecology the fruit eating bats are constantly coming in close contact with the huaman beings.
The Kearala government has set up mobile testing facilities are trying to speed up the Nipah testing facilities. 96 people can be tested at a time and it will take three to six hours to get results.
In Kozhikode Government Medical College separate isolotaion beds have been kept.
The present virus is the Bangladesh variant and originated five kilometres from the forests, government said. In 2018, 21 people have died in Nipah Virus outbreak in Kerala.
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