Nipah scare: Karnataka issues advisory for districts bordering Kerala

Karnataka Health Department issued a circular on Thursday to intensify surveillance in the districts bordering Kerala to prevent the transmission of the infection

Bengaluru: In view of the Nipah virus cases in Kerala, the Karnataka Health Department issued a circular on Thursday to intensify surveillance in the districts bordering Kerala to prevent the transmission of the infection.

With one more case of Nipah virus confirmed in Kerala’s Kozhikode on Friday, the total tally is now at 6, including 2 deaths. All cases have been recorded in Kozhikode.

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In the circular, the Karnataka Health Department advised district authorities to “Set up check posts for fever surveillance at points of entry from Karnataka to Kerala. Intensify fever surveillance in bordering districts such as Chamarajanagar, Mysore, Kodagu, and Dakshin Kannada.” Moreover, the Karnataka Health Department has advised people to avoid unnecessary travel from Karnataka to affected areas in Kerala.

Amid concerns over the Nipah virus in Kerala, the Kerala government on Thursday took 15 body-fluid samples of those in the ‘high-risks contact list linked to the first Nipah victim for testing.

The contact list contains 950 people, of whom 213 are in the high-risk category. 287 health workers are also on the contact list.
Four people in high-risk categories are in a private hospital, and 17 people are under surveillance at Kozhikode Medical College.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, reviewed steps taken for containment of the Nipah virus outbreak in Kozhikode, Kerala, from the Indian Council of Medical Research National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV), in Pune, on Thursday.

Following the Nipah virus outbreak in Kozhikode district, the District Collector has declared holidays for all educational institutions, including Anganwadis, Madrasas, tuition centres, and professional colleges, on September 16, in addition to the two-day holiday already declared for September 14 and September 15.

Amid growing concerns over a resurgence of the Nipah virus in Kerala, the state government strengthened measures to prevent the spread of infection a day after two deaths from it were confirmed in Kozhikode district.