Nipah Scare in Kerala: First Patient Tested Positive in Kochi's Ernakulam, Confirms Report by Pune Virology Institute
A 23-year-old college student, who was admitted to a private hospital in Kochi has now been found positive with the Nipah virus.
Kochi, June 4: The first case of Nipah Virus has been confirmed in Kerala. KK Shailaja,Ā Kerala Health Minister on Tuesday confirmed a positive case of the virus after results came from Pune Virology Institute.Ā A 23-year-old college student, who was admitted to a private hospital in Kochi, has now been found positive with the Nipah virus. Earlier, the final confirmation was awaited from theĀ National Institute of VirologyĀ in Pune, theĀ KeralaĀ government said on Monday.Ā What is Nipah Virus? How it Spreads, Symptoms & Preventive Measures.
Earlier in the day, Shailaja saidĀ 86 people across the state are under surveillance and resultĀ from Pune Virology Institute are awaited.Ā According to reports, thereĀ have been suspected cases earlier and samples sent for tests but results had turned out to be negative, the health minister said.Ā Shailaja said all precautions have been taken and isolation wards set up at theĀ Kalamassery Medical College HospitalĀ in Kochi.Ā In wake of Nipah scare, all the government, private and peripheral hospitals have been asked to be cautious.
Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja confirms a positive case of Nipah virus. One person from Kochi's Ernakulam was tested positive in the results that came from Pune Virology Institute. https://t.co/6NC28mT5CJ
ā ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2019
In the wake of the Nipah virus scare in the state, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said no one needs to be afraid as the government is all ready to face any situation.Ā āThe government is closely monitoring the current situation,ā Vijayan said in a Facebook post.
VijayanĀ urged everyone to follow the instructions of the health department and asked people not to indulge in fake campaigns about the Nipah virus on social media. In May 2018, theĀ deadly brain-damaging Nipah virusĀ had killed 17 people,Ā 14 in Kozhikode and three in neighbouring Malappuram in May last year.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 04, 2019 09:58 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
