Nipah: The Kerala government boosts its virus prevention measures

After the brain-damaging virus claimed the lives of two people and infected two more in this district in north Kerala, the Kerala government boosted its efforts to stop the spread of the infection. Nipah virus, which has killed two out of every four afflicted persons, is a strain of the Bangladesh variation that spreads from person to person, the Kerala government declared in the legislature on Wednesday. The variation, according to Kerala’s Health Minister Veena George, has a high mortality rate but is less contagious.

Containment zones-

The Kozhikode administration designated seven village panchayats as containment zones due to the disease’s seriousness. Atanchery, Maruthonkara, Tiruvallur, Kuttiyadi, Kayakkodi, Villyapalli, and Kavilumpara were among the panchayat’s designated containment zones, according to Kozhikode District Collector A Geetha in a Facebook post. Until further notice, no movement within or outside of these exclusion zones is permitted.

She stated on Tuesday that the police have been requested to seal off these places. Only businesses that offer necessities and medical supplies will be permitted to operate. Stores that offer necessities will be able to open from 7 am to 5 pm. For pharmacies and health centres, there is no time limit specified. Village offices and local self-government organisations can operate with a minimal personnel. The collector declared that banks, other governmental or quasi-governmental organisations, educational institutions, and anganwadis shouldn’t be in operation.

She advised the civilians to use internet services rather than visiting local self-government organisations. Buses and other vehicles shouldn’t stop in the impacted regions when travelling on national highways through containment zones. The post stated that the regional and district transport officers should give instructions on this. In the confinement zones, it was advised that everyone maintain their social distance and wear masks and hand sanitizer.

Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s has urged people not to panic and to take precautions instead, shortly after the Nipah virus infection was confirmed in the Kozhikode district. “Everyone should strictly follow the instructions of the health department and the police and fully cooperate with the restrictions,” he declared.

Health Minister’s take-

On Tuesday, state Health Minister Veena George told reporters in Kozhikode that a nine-year-old child was among those who had been exposed to the virus. Three of the five samples, according to George, have tested positively.

“The samples of the person who died on Monday and two others under treatment, including the nine-year-old boy, have tested positive,” Veena said. However, his son, a nine-year-old boy who is now in the intensive care unit, and his 24-year-old brother-in-law are the two positive instances that were identified on Tuesday. The death of the first person, which occurred on August 30, was previously thought to have been caused by the comorbidity of liver cirrhosis.

History of ‘Nipah’ virus in Kerala-

Since 2018, there have been four Nipah outbreaks in Kerala. When Kerala first reported the Nipah outbreak in 2018, 21 of the 23 affected individuals had already passed away. Nipah claimed two more lives in 2019 and 2021. The virus has no known cures or immunisations. Direct contact with the body fluids of infected bats, pigs, or other people can result in the virus being transferred to humans. It was first discovered in 1999 after a disease outbreak in Malaysia and Singapore that affected pig farmers and other people who had frequent contact with pigs.

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