Thiruvananthapuram: In a statement, the District Collector K Mohammed Y Safirulla said usual medical examinations were carried out on patients coming with the symptoms of Nipah virus and if the disease is confirmed based on such examinations, that will be officially informed to the public and necessary precautions will be taken to control its spread.
The blood samples of a 23-year-old student from Vadakkekara in Ernakulam have been sent for tests after he was admitted to a private hospital in the district and exhibited some symptoms of Nipah. The District Collector has said that this is a routine procedure and that there's no need for panic around Nipah. This comes a year after the state has recovered from the outbreak of Nipah virus, one of the most alarming incidents in the state.
All patients reporting at hospitals with fever were being checked and if symptoms of Nipah were found, they were screened further as a routine procedure. There was nothing to be anxious about this. If any case was to be confirmed, it would be officially made public and precautionary measures would be taken, the Collector said.
Last year in May, Nipah virus, a highly fatal emerging zoonotic virus, was reported in Kozhikode district and had claimed 17 lives— 14 in Kozhikode and three in neighbouring Malappuram district.