Nipah Virus Outbreak In India: Centre Calls For Strict Containment Measures After Case Reported In Keralam

New Delhi: The Central government on Friday called for the strict enforcement of standard protocols and operating procedures for the effective management and containment of the Nipah virus following the confirmation of a case in Keralam.

According to government sources, the Centre is closely monitoring the situation and remains in constant contact with the state government. The patient's sample has also been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, for further testing.

Earlier, Keralam reported a Nipah virus case, with the patient currently on ventilator support, Health Minister K Muraleedharan said Thursday.

The Minister said preliminary results were positive, though confirmation from the Virology Institute is awaited. "The results are positive. Test results from the Virology Institute are awaited," Muraleedharan told reporters.

According to the Minister, the patient was first admitted to Crescent Hospital in Calicut with a high fever before moving to another hospital. The hospital suspected Nipah after the fever persisted.

"The patient was first admitted with high fever in Crescent Hospital, Calicut. Later, he went to another hospital. As he ran a fever continuously, the hospital suspected it to be a case of Nipah virus. At present, the patient is on a ventilator. He came in contact with 77 persons, including 58 health workers, 14 members of his family and 5 friends. There are no symptoms of disease in the people he came in contact with," the minister said.

The Minister urged caution during the May-September period, considered high risk for Nipah transmission.

"May to September is a dangerous time period- don't try to touch or provoke Bats during this time. If you see them, alert the authorities. We are working on how to prevent Nipah cases," Muraleedharan added.

In February, in a first for the decade, the nurse who was infected with the Nipah virus died of a cardiac arrest in West Bengal, the state health department said.

Nipah virus is a zoonotic disease spread primarily through contact with fruit bats or infected bodily fluids. It can also pass from person to person through close contact and body fluids. Keralam has reported multiple Nipah outbreaks in recent years.

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