Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan on Saturday said there have been no new cases of Nipah virus disease in Kerala and that he has also assured Kerala Health Minister K K Shailaja of Centre’s all support to her state in this regard.
Soon after a case of Nipah virus was reported from Ernakulum district, Kerala on June 3, the Union Health Minister took stock of the situation and multi disciplinary Central teams were deployed which included experts from the NCDC, AIIMS and ICMR.
The team is supporting the state in investigations, contact tracing, sample testing and management of the NiVD.
Experts from NIHSAD, Bhopal, are supporting the local Animal Husbandry Department in investigation. The team from animal health side has collected samples from livestock and has also collected samples of bat droppings, an official statement here said.
NIV Team with three entomologists have been deployed in the two residential locations of the index case (where there is possibility of case getting infection from bats / other sources). Strategic Health Operation Centre at NCDC has been activated since June 4 and coordinating with field teams on surveillance and response activities for Nipah containment.
A dedicated phone line has been established at SHOC to answer queries of general public. Till date, only 42 calls have been received. Point of Care Test facility has been established at Medical college Ernakulum. Karnataka has increased surveillance for NiVD in districts neighboring Kerala, however, no suspects have been reported.
The condition of one positive case is stable. There have been no new cases. Out of eleven suspects, ten have tested negative and result for one is awaited. A total of 318 contacts are under quarantine.
