A 14-year-old has tested positive for the Nipah virus in Kerala’s Malappuram. The state is on alert over a possible virus outbreak and Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Saturday chaired a high-level meeting in Malappuram district to discuss measures to be taken to curb the spread of the Nipah virus.
The meeting focused on ensuring public safety, reviewing the current situation, and discussing steps to control the outbreak. A 24-hour control room has been established at the government rest house in Malappuram.
Officials will prepare a list of people who came in contact with the boy and send samples from those in high-risk areas for testing. The district collector and police chief along with officials will decide in a meeting if restrictions are to be imposed within a 3-kilometre radius of the outbreak’s epicentre.
Minister Veena George has arrived in Malappuram to lead the response efforts. The government has formed committees to oversee the implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for virus control.
The boy, whose samples were sent to the Pune virology laboratory on Friday, is currently on ventilator support and may be transferred to Kozhikode Medical College if his condition becomes critical. Earlier, Minister Veena George announced that the efforts to prevent the Nipah virus during the months of May to September will be intensified.
The Health Minister urged the public not to destroy bat habitats, as disturbing them could result in an increase in virus transmission. She also asked people not to eat fruits bitten by birds and not to drink honey from banana peel, which could be contaminated by bats. The virus transmitted from animals to humans could lead to fatalities. In 2018, at least 17 people from Kozhikode and Malappuram districts died due to the Nipah virus.
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