CHENNAI: After a fresh case of Nipah infection was reported in Kerala, the Tamil Nadu health department on Tuesday reissued guidelines to all Deputy Directors of Public Health to spread awareness on the infectious disease among doctors and healthcare professionals.
Officials in Coimbatore, The Nilgiris and other bordering districts with Kerala should be more vigilant, the guidelines containing precautionary measures and mode of transmission of the virus, said.
K Kolandaswamy, Director of Public Health, told Express that Nipah virus mainly spreads due to eating fruits bitten by infected fruit bats and also to persons who drink infected raw date palm sap. So, we instruct people to wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly before consuming. Also, they should follow hand wash hygiene practice.”
Another senior health department official said, “We have been collecting daily reports on fevers and diarrheal cases from over 2,800 hospitals across the State on a routine basis. There is nothing to worry about.”
“The symptoms are high to very high fever, disorientation, cough and severe headache, difficulty in breathing and other neurological problems,” the official concluded.
How it spreads
The fruit bats or flying foxes carry the Nipah virus in their saliva, urine or faeces. Farm pigs get infected if they eat infected fruits. So, those eating pork have to follow safety measures, said a senior health official