No Nipah cases in Mumbai, says State health minister Dr Deepak Sawant

Medical personnel wearing protective suits check patients at the Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode. Pic/AFP

As worry over the new epidemic of Nipah virus (NiV) in Kerala infects the country, state health minister Dr Deepak Sawant has reassured citizens that there is no case in the city or state. As a precaution though, the government has directed setting up an isolation ward at Kasturba Hospital. So far, 10 have succumbed to it, two are undergoing treatment and 94-odd have been quarantined at their homes in the southern state.

'Avoid visiting Kerala'
"Although there are no patients in the state, all government and private hospitals have been briefed on precautionary measures," read the state's press release. Sawant also appealed to people to get admitted to government-run hospitals immediately if symptoms related to the illness showed and cautioned citizens against travelling to Kerala.

"Those who have travelled through the region and developed any symptom should be immediately admitted to a government hospital. If a patient with NiV symptoms is found in a private hospital, government hospitals should be informed, and the patient shifted to the isolation ward at a government hospital," read his directive.

Dr Pradip Awte, state health survey officer, said, "There are two phases of it - in the first phase, patients generally have headache and muscle pain along with sore throat; in the second phase, patients start bleeding from the nose, eyes and mouth and have diarrhoea. After this comes organ failure, and ultimately, coma."

NIV collects samples
While an official from the National Institute of Virology (NIV) confirmed that four samples taken from Kerala had come positive for the infection, NIV director Dr Devendra Mourya requested people not to panic and assured that the epidemic wouldn't spread as it is geographically limited. The Airport Health Organization, too, hasn't received any instructions so far to keep a tab on people coming from Kerala.

Also Read: High-level doctors' team to probe Nipah virus deaths in Kerala