Fever cases that have resulted in the death of three persons at Perambra, Kozhikode, are being followed up with utmost importance, Minister for Health K.K. Shylaja has said.
Speaking to newspersons after the foundation stone laying ceremony for Cochin Cancer Research Centre here on Sunday, the Minister said a team from the Union Health Ministry would soon be arriving in Kozhikode to take a first hand report. The State had already given a preliminary report related to the death to the Union Health Ministry and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Ms. Shylaja said that already a team from Manipal Centre for Virus Research headed by G. Arunkumar was camping there as the disease was suspected to be viral encephalitis. Those who have had direct contact with the people who had died were under observation, she said. Information was being collected from doctors and nurses who had treated the patients and those who were in the hospital at that time. They would be under observation, she said.
She said the virus would not spread through air. It would spread through saliva or direct contact with patients, she said.
She made an appeal to the people to stop spreading wrong information on social media creating panic. Instead, people active on social media should spread right information collected from health workers.
