Nipah cases: Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Wednesday informed that no new Nipah cases have been reported in the state in the last four days. The outbreak of the virus posed a threat to the people. She added that out of the 323 samples, 317 were tested negative and six were tested positive till now. According to George, 11 persons are in isolation and their test results are negative.
"The situation is totally under control. We had six positive cases. A nine-year-old boy is clinically improving and the other three persons, who are positive, are also stable," says Kerala Health Minister Veena George.
Earlier on Tuesday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said that outbreak reported from Kozhikode district is under control now. However, he had also asserted that the threat of the infectious disease is not over yet in the state.
Not possible to rule out the chance of second wave
At present, it is not possible to rule out the chance of a second wave of the Nipah outbreak, he said.
It cannot be said that the threat of Nipah is completely over, but it is a relief that the disease has not spread among more people, the Chief Minister told a press conference here after a review meeting.
"A Nipah review meeting was held here today. Health experts are of the opinion that the possibility of a second wave is very remote but cannot be completely ruled out," he said.'
Early detection of the virus averted a dangerous situation
Noting that the state health system could effectively prevent the spread of the deadly virus, he said early detection of the virus averted a dangerous situation.
Though the spread of the infection is under control, even the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) could not provide a clear answer to why Nipah cases are being reported from northern Kozhikode, he said.
Samples of bat
Samples of 36 bats were sent for testing, but no virus was found, and more samples would be collected in the coming days, the CM added.
The route map of the first infected person was taken with the help of the police, and samples of bats from these sites would be collected and sent for testing, he said.
(with inputs from PTI)
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