Scaling down the scare of a potential Nipah outbreak, four out of 11 persons who had been kept in an isolation ward of the Government Medical College, Ernakulam, were discharged on Saturday night after their condition improved significantly.
The condition of the seven persons in the isolation ward was reported to be stable, a medical bulletin issued by the District Collector on Saturday said. Ten out of the 11 persons in the isolation ward were tested negative while the result of one patient was awaited. Three persons were admitted at the Government Medical College late on Friday. Meanwhile, the samples of the 23-year-old youth who had tested positive for Nipah infection were tested in the lab set up at the Government Medical College, Ernakulam, on Saturday. Though the tests showed that his Nipah infection had reduced, samples had been sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, for confirmation, said the Collector. Out of the 327 persons who are under surveillance, 52 had been classified in the high-risk category.
Anti-Nipah drive
The core committee spearheading the anti-Nipah drive met to take stock of the situation at the Collectorate on Saturday morning. Education Minister C. Ravindranath presided. An expert team from the Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV) continues to camp at the Government Medical College Hospital here and undertake examination of the lab and sanitisation drive.
A team from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and NIMHANS examined the facilities at the new isolation ward set up at the medical college. Another three-member team from the NIV was engaged in setting up a mechanism to study bats at Thodupuzha, while a forest team was entrusted with a similar task at Vadakkekkara. Four teams have been deployed for the monitoring of private hospitals and have so far visited 63 hospitals.
Enough medicines have been stocked in the district. The helpline received 39 calls on Nipah on Saturday, taking the total number of calls till its setting up to 557. The training to fight Nipah, now being given at block level, will be expanded to the panchayat and municipal levels. This will be kick-started on June 10.
The Labour Department inspected 12 migrant labour camps at North Paravur, Perumbavoor and Kakkanad. Strict action will be taken against those found violating hygiene norms.
