Nipah virus in Kerala: 2 deaths, over 700 people tested. What we know so far about the outbreak.10 points
Kozhikode villages. 3) 58 wards across nine panchayats in Vadakara taluk of Kozhikode district have been declared as containment zones. Essential services and only entry and exit are allowed in these areas.
Shops selling essential goods will be allowed to function from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. No time bar has been given for pharmacies and health centres.
4)While the outbreak this time took place in Kozhikode, minister Veena George said the entire Kerala is prone to getting such infections according to WHO and ICMR studies. 5) The Nipah strain found in Kerala this time is the Bangladesh variant which is less infectious but has a high mortality rate. This strain spreads from human to human.
6) Neighbouring Tamil Nadu state announced that travellers coming from Kerala would be subjected to medical tests and those with flu symptoms would be isolated. 7) The central government has rushed a team of five experts to monitor the situation in Kerala. The state government has been conducting rigorous surveillance and contact tracing, maintaining containment zones, and providing medical aid to those infected.
Scientists from NIV, Pune, are also conducting bat surveys as part of the ongoing efforts. 8) Earlier, on Tuesday, the state Health Department issued an alert for Kannur, Wayanad, and Malappuram districts after the confirmation of Nipah infection in Kozhikode. 9)The Nipah virus was first identified in 1999 during an outbreak of illness among pig farmers and others in close contact with the animals in Malaysia and Singapore.
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