Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday said there was no cause for panic as the brief Nipah virus flare-up in North Kerala had abated.
After chairing a high-level meeting on the viral outbreak, Mr. Vijayan said doctors treated 18 people for Nipah virus in the first phase. Of them, 17 died. The heartening news was that no new case of Nipah had been reported.
Recedes
The Chief Minister sought to allay such fears and said precautions to detect, prevent and treat the disease remained in place. In its second phase, the condition appeared to have receded. Nipah was not the cause of the two recent deaths reported in Kannur and Wayanad.
However, the team of experts from Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College Hospital would camp in Kozhikode till further directions. Doctors from the Indian Council For Medical Research (ICMR) and National Institute of Epidemiology would continue to assist them.
Under observation
The Health Department is monitoring the daily health status of at least 2,000 persons who had come into contact with those suspected of having contracted Nipah. The medical reports will be uploaded on government computers for quick reference and coordinated action, if necessary.
Mr. Vijayan said those under observation were free to get about their business or work without fear. There was no need for any quarantine. The government had tasked the District Collectors in Kozhikode and Malappuram to issue free provisions to those under medical surveillance.
The Chief Minister conferred with Health Minister K.K. Shylaja and Health Services Director R.L. Saritha and the District Collectors through video conferencing.
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