Fruit bats no culprit in Nipah outbreak
Among the 193 samples so far tested in Kozhikode district, only 18 were positive and 175 were negative.
Kozhikode: The tests conducted on samples of fruit eating-bats at National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, turned negative. The samples were collected from Janakikkad in Perambra. In total, 13 samples were sent. Earlier, samples collected from insectivorous bats had also turned out to be negative. Meanwhile. the situation in the district after the Nipah virus outbreak has been improving with the strict vigil being maintained by the health workers.
Fifty doses of Australian NiV drug, Monoclonal 102.4 antibodies, have reached the KMCH. The drug would be opened only in the presence of Indian Council for Medical Research experts, said health department additional chief secretary Rajeev Sadanandan. Health Minister K.K. Shylaja has been monitoring the precautionary as well as treatment modules and taking steps to allay the fears of the public. An all-party meeting would be convened in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday to discuss the matter.
Ms Shylaja told reporters here on Saturday that there was no need to panic, but the people should be alert. The messages being spread through the social media were baseless, she said. There was no need to ostracise the people in the contact list.
They should remain in their homes for a few more days and reduce public interaction, she said. Among the 193 samples so far tested in the district, only 18 were positive and 175 were negative. About 2, 000 people are in the contact list which would be increased. As the virus is highly virulent, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts should take more care, she said. All hospitals where Nipah patients were treated are under close watch by the health department, she added.
School opening June 12
The district administrations of Kozhikode and Malappuram postponed the reopening of schools and all professional institutions to June 12. The schools in Mahe would also be reopened only on June 12 after the summer vacation. The Calicut University has shut the university park and imposed restrictions on the visitors. Close on the heels of Kozhikode district court suspending the sittings due to the Nipah scare, the district court in Kannur also imposed restrictions on the presence of witnesses and accused during trials till June 10. The district judge issued stop memos to all summonses already sent.