State going all out to counter Nipah threat

Blood results of suspected case awaited

June 04, 2019 01:11 am | Updated 01:11 am IST - KOCHI

Caution in the air:  Medical personnel at the Ernakulam Government Medical College watch the arrangements  being made to tackle the Nipah virus threat.

Caution in the air: Medical personnel at the Ernakulam Government Medical College watch the arrangements being made to tackle the Nipah virus threat.

Even as the State awaits the blood reports of a 23-year-old youth suspected to be infected with the Nipah virus, the Health Department has gone into the alert mode with full-fledged preventive measures across the State.

Emerging from a high-level review meeting held here on Monday to take stock of the situation, Health Minister K.K. Shylaja assured the people that the State administration was fully geared up to face any eventualities.

CM’s directive

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a Facebook post, urged everyone to follow the instructions of the Health Department.

The student, hailing from Ernakulam, had studied in a college in Thodupuzha in Idukki and had stayed in Thrissur recently in connection with a camp. He is admitted to a private hospital in Kochi. As many as 86 people who had come into contact with the patient had been put under observation. The Health Department was tracing the travel history of the patient to trace the origin of the infection.

The blood samples are being tested at the National Institute of Virology, Pune. Isolation wards have been readied in several medical colleges and general hospitals in the State and all private hospitals have been asked to report suspected cases. Surveillance in all private hospitals has been increased.

Antiviral medication

The patient is being administered Ribavirin, an antiviral medication. Last year, the Health Department had procured human monoclonal antibody, an immunoglobulin which is effective in aggravated cases, and the department has ample stock of it. The Minister said Union Minister for Health Harsh Vardhan and Union Health Secretary Preethi Sudan had conveyed support in dealing with the situation.

Training has been provided to the medical college team here by a team of experts led by R. Chandni of the Kozhikode Government Medical College.

Safety of team

Safety of the health-care team would be a priority of the government, said the Minister. Steps had been taken to procure protective gear for the team. Ambulances and Rapid Response Teams had been put on alert.

All the preparations had been done based on the results from the Alappuzha Virology Institute, which had said that it had found a Nipah-like virus. There was no bar on gatherings and festivities, though people need to be alert and get immediate medical help in case of fever, the Minister said.

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