Kerala Health Minister K K Shailaja on Friday met Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and discussed the status and preparedness of her state for containment and management of Nipah Virus Disease.
"As we already have an encounter with Nipah virus last year, the state government was pro-active in dealing with the disease. As of now, the situation is totally under control and there's no need to panic," she told the media.
Further, she said, "When Nipah virus hit Kerala last year, we urged the Centre to establish a regional Biosafety Level-3 (BSL-3) laboratory in Kozhikode district. In May 2019, the Indian Council of Medical Research also granted permission for the same after assessing the eligibility criteria on the ground."
The estimated cost for the project would come around 8 crores, however, the minister has assured to extend help from the Centre, she added.
"Permission to hoist AIIMS in Kerala is something that we have been demanding from the Centre for a long time. I have also requested him to look into the matter and the minister has been very supportive," she further said.
On June 4, a 23-old-man had tested positive for Nipah virus infection, which killed 17 people in Kerala last year.
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As of now, a total of 15 people are under observation in the state.
Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan had on June 4 said that the Centre had rushed a team of doctors to Kerala for investigation in the wake of the scare of Nipah virus.
Vardhan had asserted that he is "very vigorously" following the situation.
Nipah virus is transmitted from animals to humans and then spreads through people to people contact, causing respiratory illness.
Its symptoms include fever, muscle pain, headache, fever, dizziness and nausea.