HEALTH NEWS
Kerala: Nipah outbreak creates fear
Yet again, Kerala is in headlines after a 12-year-old died after contracting the Nipah virus in Kozhikode on Sunday.
This has become a major concern as the state is still struggling to contain the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
State health minister Veena George said all three samples of the boy were found to be positive for Nipah virus by the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune.
At least 18 close contacts, mainly relatives and health workers, of the boy and 150 secondary contacts were identified and quarantined.
“There is no need to panic. But strict vigil is the need of the hour. We have a strict Nipah protocol and we will go by that,” said the minister.