Karnataka Health Department authorities breathed a sigh of relief as a suspected sample of Nipah virus sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) tested negative. The District Health Officer (DHO) of Dakshina Kannada district Dr Kishore Kumar said on Wednesday that the report of the suspected Nipah case has arrived and the youth has tested negative. He appealed to the public not to panic as the district administration has taken all precautions in this regard.
High alert was sounded across Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Karwar districts of Karnataka, after a sample of a person from Karwar, who worked in RT-PCR and Nipah kits manufacturing unit, was sent for testing to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune.
The man had approached a hospital in Manipal on Saturday. He was kept in an isolated ward at the Government Wenlock District hospital in Mangaluru. His family members were also isolated. Though the doctors did not find any Nipah symptoms, the patient insisted that he was affected by the virus. The authorities did not want to take any chances, and sent the sample for testing.
The person was affected with fever after he got drenched in rain in Goa. He also experienced headaches and faster heartbeats.
Thermal scanning is being made mandatory for all travellers from Kerala to ensure safety for those who enter the state on emergency purposes as entry is restricted for daily movement of people from Kerala. Strict vigil is kept at the borders. Hospitals and all doctors are informed to report to authorities if they come across any person with the symptoms of Nipah.
The decision to increase surveillance was taken by the government and an advisory was issued on September 7 after a 12-year-old boy had died due to Nipah virus in Kerala. The surveillance was increased specifically in districts that border Kerala which include Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Mysuru, Kodagu and Chamarajanagara. Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar in a tweet said, “In the wake of confirmed Nipah virus cases being reported in Kerala, it has been decided to strengthen the surveillance and preparedness in Karnataka with a special focus in the districts bordering Kerala.”