Kerala Overcomes Nipah Virus Outbreak Scare As No New Cases Reported, Infected Patient Starts Walking

A possible outbreak of the deadly Nipah virus outbreak, for the second straight year, has been thwarted as there has been no report of suspected cases from anywhere in the state for over a week now. The nearly a dozen suspected cases which were reported earlier turned out to be negative.?

BCCL

Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja who has been leading from the front, the state's fightback against the virus said no new cases have been reported in the state.?

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan who is also monitoring the situation in the state confirmed that no new case of Nipah virus infection has been reported in Kerala.

He also added that the condition of the 23-year-old the only confirmed case of Nipah so far this year has improved.

BCCL

According to doctors, the engineering student from Ernakulam who was admitted in hospital since June 3 has made considerable improvement in his health.?

The patient was able to walk without help on Monday, said a health bulletin.

The news comes as a welcome relief for the state which has been acting on a war-footing level ever since the first case was reported.

The state which drew from the experience of battling the deadly outbreak last year which killed 17 people did not waste any time this year in swinging into action. Isolation wards were set up across hospitals and awareness campaigns were launched to alleviate the fear of the general public while a team of experts from AIIMS and medicines from Australia was rushed to the state.

BCCL

National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune has collected three blood samples from pigs and about 30 samples from bats from Thodupuzha in Idukki district of the state for testing.?

Kerala Health Minister said the state was able to act in such swift manner as they were anticipating the relapse of the deadly virus.?

According to the World Health Organisation, Nipah virus infection is a newly emerging disease that can be transmitted from its reservoir (natural wildlife host), the flying foxes (fruit bats), to both animals and humans.?

Symptoms range from asymptomatic infection, acute respiratory infection and encephalitis.

Infected people initially develop influenza-like symptoms of fever, headache, vomiting and sore throat. This might get followed by dizziness, drowsiness, altered consciousness and neurological signs that indicate acute encephalitis.?

BCCL

Even though no cases have been reported, states which share the boundary with Kerala - Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have stepped up alert and has been screening all interstate passengers from Kerala.?

Even the Goa government is taking all precautions to counter it, state health minister Vishwajit Rane said.