COIMBATORE: Tamil Nadu health department officials commenced surveillance at Walayar on Tamil Nadu-Kerala border on Monday morning following the death of a 14-year-old boy from Nipah virus infection in the neighbouring state.
Health department officials, clad in special protective suits, halted buses and other vehicles from Kerala, inquiring if passengers exhibited symptoms such as fever or sore throat.
In the wake of the boy's death in Kerala, the Tamil Nadu state government has instructed health department officials to implement precautionary measures and maintain vigilant surveillance at the border.
The department, on Sunday instructed the Deputy Director of Health Services to strengthen the surveillance on Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (fever with altered sensorium) in the bordering districts of Kerala.
Government and private hospitals should be alerted about the Nipah virus outbreak and health teams should be deployed at border check-posts round-the-clock to screen all symptomatic cases especially in the Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Theni, Tenkasi and Kanniyakumari, the department advisory said.