Fever surveillance stepped up at TN border after Kerala reports Nipah virus infection

Health officials of 9 TN districts that share a border with Kerala have been alerted, testing to be ramped up

September 05, 2021 01:36 pm | Updated 01:36 pm IST - CHENNAI

Health Minister Ma.Subramanian travelled by train from Chennai Beach to Guindy railway station to check on adherence to COVID-19 appropriate behaviour among the public on Sunday

Health Minister Ma.Subramanian travelled by train from Chennai Beach to Guindy railway station to check on adherence to COVID-19 appropriate behaviour among the public on Sunday

After a 12-year-old boy succumbed to the Nipah virus infection in Kerala , Tamil Nadu has stepped up fever surveillance in the border areas, Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said on Sunday.

“As soon as we received information about the boy affected by Nipah virus infection this morning, we informed health officials -- deputy directors and joint directors of health -- of nine districts sharing a border with Kerala,” he told reporters after an event held to distribute welfare assistance to beneficiaries in Saidapet constituency.

“In addition to this, we have shared information about Nipah virus and have asked officials to hold fever camps and take up testing in the border areas for those coming by road -- whether in two-wheelers or four-wheelers,” he said.

Earlier, when Zika virus cases surfaced in Kerala, fever camps were held at the border areas to screen persons coming from Kerala, he said, adding that already COVID-19 prevention measures were in place at these border districts.

Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan, in a message to Collectors and health teams, said that border districts, as part of fever surveillance, should cover all communicable diseases especially Zika and now, Nipah virus infection. While deputy directors of health services were informed, officials were also told to keep local bodies in border areas alerted about these diseases.

New COVID-19 variant

On a new COVID-19 variant identified in South Africa, the Health Minister said the international airport in Chennai has installed thermal scanning facilities and has put in place an RT-PCR testing facility that can provide results in 13 minutes. “We are vigilant and there is no need to worry,” he said.

The Minister later travelled by train from Chennai Beach to Guindy railway station to check on adherence to COVID-19 appropriate behaviour, including wearing of masks among members of the public. Members of Legislative Assembly Thayagam Kavi (Thiru vi ka Nagar) and A.M.V. Prabhakara Raja (Virugambakkam) were present.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.