Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the state will conduct a seroprevalence study on the Nipah virus🔯 being repeatedly found in Kozhikode district.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the Indian Council of Medical Researc🐼h (ICMR) is not providing a clear answer to why the virus outbreak repeatedlܫy happens in the state’s Kozhikode.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the state will conduct a seroprevalence study on the Nipah virus🔯 being repeatedly found in Kozhikode district.
According to WHO, population-based seroprevalence surveys are conducted to predict the proportion of infection a🥀nd immunity in order to comprehend disease burden, a pattern of transmission, and associated ris𝄹k factors.
The Cꦓhief Minister said that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is not providing a clear answer♔ to why the virus outbreak repeatedly happens in Kozhikode, ANI report said.
“So the state has decided to conduct a sero survey. H♎ave asked ♍the health department to prepare a detailed proposal for this,” CM Vijayan was quoted in the report as having said in Thiruvananthapuram.
He further saidꦫ that the state government is taking al𝕴l measures to prevent the spread and ensure better treatment for those infected, the report mentioned.
“It cannot be said that the Nipah threat has gone away. It is a relief that the disease has not spread to more people. The governme🦄nt is going ahead with effect𒆙ive measures to prevent the spread and ensure better treatment for those infected. The entire health system of the state is involved in this initiative with utmost caution,” he said, the report mentioned.
The CM also added that scientific precautions have been tak🎶en to prevent the spread of Nipah in Kozhikode as well as neighbouring Kannur, Wayanad, and Malappuram districts, it said.
“A more dangerous situation was avoided because it was detected early. As soon as the abnormal fever was noticed, the government intervened and coordinated preventive m𓃲easures,” the CM said, as per the report.
He said that a Nipah action plan waꦐs drawn up and a Nipah Core Committee comprising 19 teams was formed, it added.
“Nipah control room is set up in government guest house, Kozhikode. A call centre was opened and linkedꦰ to the 'Disha' service of the Health Department,” he added, the report said.
On the number of infected persons and contact list, the CM said, “1286 people are included in the contact list. 276 of them belong to the high-risk category. 122 of them are family members and relatives of the patients. 118 🔥health workers are on the contact list. 994 people are under observation,” it said.
T𝔍he Chief Minister said that so far, samples of 304 people with symptoms of the disease have been collected, it said.
E♕arlier on Monday, Health Minister Veena George said that no fresh cases of the Nipah virus were reported in the state as 61 samples tꦍaken of ‘high-risk’ contacts including healthcare workers tested negative, the report mentioned.
Sh🐼e further said that the Nipah strain fou൲nd in Kerala has been identified as the Indian Genotype, or I Genotype, which is similar to the strain found in Bangladesh, it said.
Six cases of the Nipah virus have been so far found in the state of which two persons died while four others, including a nine-year-old boy, are under t🅠reatment, it said.
The health minister said that ICMR and WHO had conducted studies and found that Kerala and eight other♉ states in India have the probability of Nipah occurrence, it stated.
Meanwhile, the district administration in Kozhikode has relaxed the restrictions in the district as no new cases of Nip🔯ah virus infection were reported in the𝐆 state, it said.