Tamil Nadu Health Secretary Dr Radhakrishnan has quashed false reports that claim that the Nipah Virus (NiV) infection has been confirmed in one person in Tiruchirappalli.
On Friday, a few Tamil channels had been flashing the false news which was later picked up by other regional media. The Health Department was prompt to intervene and the channels withdrew the reports.
Speaking to TNM, Dr Radhakrishnan said, “We have been advising all patients with fever to report to their nearest hospital. An individual had returned from Kerala to his village in Manapparai in Tiruchi. He went to the local hospital and was then referred to the Tiruchi Government Hospital. He was admitted on Thursday. He shows no other symptoms of Nipah virus.”
“A news channel had wrongly flashed the news saying that there is a confirmed case of Nipah virus in Tiruchi. This is false. His samples have not been sent to the Pune laboratory yet,” he added.
Since the Nipah outbreak in Kerala, which has been contained now, the neighbouring states have been on high alert and taking necessary preventive measures.
Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja on Wednesday said that the outbreak of Nipah Virus has been contained in Kerala and there was no need to panic.
The Kerala Health and Family Welfare Department on Wednesday issued a health advisory for persons travelling to Kerala.
On Thursday, the Dakshina Kannada District Health and Family Welfare Officer Dr M Ramakrishna Rao confirmed that the results for 2 suspected Nipah Virus infection in Mangaluru have turned out to be negative. He confirmed that there is no Nipah virus infection in Mangaluru.
When the initial suspicions arose, the patients - a 20-year-old woman from Kasargod and a 75-year-old man from Mangaluru - were immediately placed in quarantine. They have been undergoing symptomatic treatment at a private hospital and at the Government Wenlock Hospital respectively.
On the same day, two suspected cases of Nipah virus infection were reported in Hyderabad. One of the patients had recently travelled to Kerala. Both of them have been admitted to hospitals and isolated. Their samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. The results are expected to be out within 24 to 48 hours.
Speaking to reporters, Telangana Director of Medical Education Dr K Ramesh Reddy said that there was no need to panic and that the samples were taken just to be on the safe side.
"One among the two suspected cases went to Kerala. I spoke to National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) officials who are in Kerala who said that the place the man has been to is hundreds of kilometers away from localities where Nipah virus cases are reported. So chances for him to test positive are less. We are fully geared up to handle emergencies," Dr K Ramesh Reddy was quoted as saying.
Media reports also state that awareness is also being spread in rural areas of the state, with NGOs asking people not to eat fruits with bite marks on them, or even those which have dropped from trees.