PERAMBRA: Chengaroth, near here, breathed easy on Tuesday. The village had every reason to heave a sigh of relief: The lab report of a 19-year-old-girl, suspected to be hit by Nipah virus, showed she tested negative. The masks, fearing infection, were off. Villagers who had abandoned their homes were slowly returning. In short, Chengaroth which witnessed the deaths of three persons in a family due to the deadly virus, is slowly limping back to normal.
However, the Express team which visited Chengaroth for the second day in a row found hospitals and offices in the area deserted. The in-patient wards at the government hospital at Perambra, where a youth who succumbed to the infection was treated initially, were vacant.
‘’Many people, mainly migrant labourers, come here for the fever test. Strangely, no one wants to get admitted here,’’ said hospital superintendent Shamin. “The people are scared of getting infected with the Nipah virus after the death of a staff nurse at the hospital and a youth who was initially treated here,’’ the officer said.
The Chengaroth panchayat office too wore a deserted look. “People keep away from the office as it is situated near the house of the Nipah victims. Members of the staff have taken leave for fear of virus infection,” said panchayat president Ayisha Beevi. One thing’s for sure: The wave of fear and panic which had swept the village on Monday has receded. For, the homes were bristling with life as before. And people were going about on their daily grind. Exceptions notwithstanding.