KOCHI: Ernakulam got a Nipah scare when reports of a suspected case began doing the rounds in the media on Sunday. A youth from Vadakkekara grama panchayat in Thrissur was admitted to a private hospital with a high fever. After fever persisted for 10 days, the youth’s blood samples were sent to a Bengaluru- based private laboratory which said the symptoms could be that of Nipah. District Medical Officer Dr M K Kuttappan said there is no confirmation of the virus yet.
The blood samples have also been sent to Manipal Institute of Virology and Kerala State Institute of Virology and Infectious Diseases in Alappuzha. “We’re waiting for the results from the two government institutes. The case can be confirmed only after that,” said Dr Kuttappan.
The youth had gone for an internship programme at Keltron in Thrissur and returned home after he fell sick. He is presently taken care of in the private hospital’s isolation ward. According to the DMO, it might also be a case of viral or bacterial encephalitis. He added the district medical authorities will issue a statement once they receive the results.
Meanwhile, Ernakulam District Collector K Muhammed Y Safirullah said: “The news circulating on the social media regarding the identification of Nipah case is false.” He said the samples of the patient were sent to the labs as a part of the instructions given to the hospitals to carry out test for Nipah whenever anybody suffering from fever is admitted. “There is no need to worry. An official statement will be issued if the tests confirm the case,” he said.
NO NEED TO PANIC
Kannur: Health Minister K K Shylaja on Sunday said there was no need to panic.“Doctors have been asked to be vigilant,” she said.