Amid fears that Nipah virus has spread to other states such as Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh, Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey today asked people not to panic, asserting that it was a "localised" occurrence in Kerala, where the number of deaths due to the outbreak has reached 12.
Amid reports that dead bats have been found on the premises of a government school in Himachal Pradesh and two people suspected to be infected with the brain-damaging Nipah virus are under treatment in Karnataka, Choubey said the samples of dead bats found in HP have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) for investigation.
"Samples of dead bats have been sent for testing to NIV, Pune, to ascertain the reason behind their deaths. Without laboratory reports it cannot be said that these bats have been killed by Nipah virus," Choubey said, adding that he had spoken to the Himachal Pradesh administration over the matter.
A senior Health Ministry official said the death toll due to the outbreak of Nipah rose to 12 in the southern state of Kerala, with one more person succumbing to the deadly virus in Kozhikode this morning.
A multi-disciplinary central team led by the Director of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is constantly reviewing the situation of the Nipah virus disease in Kerala.
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The team has also further fine-tuned the draft guidelines, case definitions, advisory for healthcare workers, information to the general public, advisories for sample collection and transportation accordingly.
"It (outbreak of Nipah virus) is a localised occurrence and there is no need to panic," the minister said.
The central team held meetings with the district collectors and the medical and para-medical staff of the hospitals today also to review the condition of the admitted patients and to consider further course of action to be taken to prevent the disease from spreading.
"The disease has not spread to new areas. The contact tracing strategy adopted has also been successful. It has been found that all the reported cases including the suspected cases had direct or indirect contact with the first casualty/his family prior to contacting the disease," the ministry said.
The team also reviewed and discussed with the hospitals the management and treatment of the patients. The treatment procedure adopted by the hospitals for the patients with specific/non-specific symptoms has been found effective. The suspect cases admitted in the Kozhikode Medical College and Trivandrum Medical College are under observation.
All healthcare workers have adopted safe practices for dealing with the patients.
According to the ministry, of the 12 deaths so far due to the virus, nine people died in Kozhikode district and three in Mallappuram. Besides, about 160 samples have been sent for testing at the virology institute.
While 18 people with specific symptoms are admitted at hospitals in Kozhikode, 22 patients with suspected Nipah cases, all from Malappuram district, are admitted at Kozhikode Medical College for observation.
"They are all contacts of the confirmed cases and their lab results are awaited. Also, 95 families are under surveillance," the Health Ministry official said.
Choubey said hospitals in public and private sectors have been provided with personal protective equipment and appropriate steps to contain this virus have been taken.
Meanwhile, Kozhikode and Mallappuram have been put on "high alert" by a central Health Ministry team which was sent to the state and an advisory for setting up of screening facilities of suspected cases at exit and entry points of these districts issued.
The administration has been asked to ensure availability of isolation and emergency management facilities before referral.
The local administration, with the help of the central Health Ministry team, has set up a task force with a designated control room, while a nodal officer has been appointed to collect data and monitor the activities to ensure preventive measures.
The Virus Research Diagnostic Laboratory at Manipal Hospital and the National Institute of Virology have been asked to meet the diagnostic challenges.
Nipah virus (NiV) infection is a newly emerging zoonosis that causes severe disease in both animals and humans. The natural host of the virus are fruit bats of the Pteropodidae Family, Pteropus genus.
Currently, there is no vaccine or drug for treatment of the NiV infection. Treatment for human cases is management treatment along with intensive supportive care.
The virus spreads through close contact with people's secretions and excretions. Eating food which may have the droplets of saliva and urine of infected bats can lead to the transmission of the virus.
Earlier, cases of Nipah virus were reported from West Bengal's Siliguri in 2001 and Nadia district in 2007 and around 47 deaths were reported.
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