The total death toll from the Nipah virus rose to 17 on Friday, 1 June. Schools and colleges in Calicut will remain shut till 12 June, ANI reported. Officials also said that bats are not responsible for the spread of the Nipah virus.
India has reportedly procured 50 doses of an antibody from Australia, which will help in fighting the virus.
- 17 people have died due to the virus outbreak
- Sikkim and Bihar governments have issued health advisories to the people of the state.
- The UAE has asked its residents to put off unnecessary travel to Kerala
Govt Will Reimburse Patients: Kerala CM
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced reimbursements for medical expenses incurred by Nipah virus patients. He said the government will allot the amount based on the District Collector’s report.
Kerala Government Says Situation Not 'Alarming' Now
The situation in Kerala at present following the outbreak of Nipah virus is not alarming as no new cases have been reported, a high-level review meeting said on Sunday, 3 June, PTI reported.
The meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was attended, among others, by Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Rajiv Sadanandan and DGP Loknath Behara and senior IAS officers.
The collectors of Kozhikode and Malappuram districts, the worst affected by the virus, participated in the meeting through video conferencing, a press release said.
No Threat to Kerala from Nipah Virus: IMA
Indian Medical Association (IMA) president Ravi Wankadekar on Saturday, 2 June, said Kerala need not worry about the Nipah virus as the state is absolutely safe from it now.
State Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said Kerala was indeed a safe destination, as around 300 doctors arrived in Kerala from various parts of India for the IMA conference to be held at Kovalam. “The arrival of the renowned doctors to Kerala has an immense significance,” said Surendran.
Wankedekar, who is in the capital city for the IMA conference, said that the virus outbreak does not hold any threat. “Around 300 doctors arriving in the state itself shows that the virus isn't a threat at all,” said the IMA president.
State Health Minister KK Shailaja said that the medical teams of the Centre, state and the private sectors need to be complimented for effectively containing the outbreak.
Of the 18 positive cases, [17] have died and the remaining two are recovering well at the Kozhikode hospital. In all we had sent 193 samples of which 175 were negative. Almost 2,000 people have been reported to have come in contact with the affected and this figure might go up. Things are in control, but we have to be very careful.KK Shailaja, State Health Minister
Anxious moments were witnessed on Saturday morning when it was wrongly reported that a 38-year-old woman had died in Kannur district due to the Nipah virus. However, soon other reports surfaced that she had died of other causes and did not carry the Nipah virus.
But even while the state government has assured that the situation is under control, people in Kozhikode district are taking extra precautions with many people wearing masks outdoors. Businesses and market places are less crowded while some movie theatres have downed shutters.
(With inputs from IANS)
Kozhikode Schools and Colleges to Stay Shut till 12 June
Schools, colleges and educational institutes in Kozhikode will remain closed till 12 June in the wake of the Nipah virus outbreak. The date was initially extended to 5 June in Wayanad, Kannur and Malappuram, besides Kozhikode, and reopened on Friday in the rest of Kerala, after summer vacation.