THIRUVANANTHAPRUAM: While sale of local varieties of mango come down, chickoo and guava too are not in high demand at least in some of the city markets post Nipah scare. A section of city residents told this newspaper that they were worried because of the reports that are coming out from Perambra in Kozhikode. Since there is still no confirmation about Nipah virus being transmitted by fruit bats, many believe that it is prudent to avoid certain fruits.
Many others say they prefer going for double wash and cleaning of fruits before consumption. “There is slight panic among people. We are a bit more cautious in buying fruits and even plucking guava from trees at home,” said Mani V.S., a staff at Passport Office. While the main fruit markets have not been affected by Nipah scare, there is certainly a drop in people stopping by the wayside vendors to get local varieties of mangoes. “We can’t risk our children’s lives. They are more vulnerable because of low immunity power. So it is better to be cautious than be sorry in this case,” said Parvathy Krishna, a homemaker.
In some of the local markets, the demand for local varieties of mango, chickoo and guava have come down while banana sales are normal. Meanwhile, assistant food safety commissioner A.K. Mini said juice centres and fruit stalls were under the scanner. The department has deployed quick response team to check complaints pertaining to fruits and juice centres. “The stalls are being monitored and checked they are selling damaged fruits and vegetables. Our squad is keeping a close watch on the situation. Quick response team are handling complaints of the citizens. So far we have not collected any samples, but the vigil is mainly to ensure that shopkeepers, vendors and juice bars adhere to food safety norms,” she added.
