Coimbatore DC denies Nipah outbreak, says case reported in Kerala's Calicut

The administration is planning to test people coming from Kerala, where multiple cases of the Nipah virus have been recently reported.

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Coimbatore: The District Collector of Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore denied that a case of Nipah virus was found in the city.

He said one Nipha case has been reported in Kerala's Calicut which was misreported in the media.

He said, in Coimbatore "we are taking all necessary precautions in the border".

This is a wrong information. One Nipha case has been reported in Calicut,Kerala. In Coimbatore we are taking all necessary precautions in the border, I have told on record.@ANI may immediately delete the tweet to avoid any panic through this misinformation. https://t.co/SbFGZXiaH7 — District Collector, Coimbatore (@CollectorCbe) September 6, 2021

"The health department has issued some instructions including how to identify Nipah, Zika, or Dengue virus. Patients with high body temperature will have to undergo certain procedures and health check-ups," DC GS Sameeran was quoted as saying by ANI.

Sameeran said that the people coming from Kerala to Tamil Nadu will have to go through 13 checkpoints and that people with negative RT-PCR reports will be permitted to enter the state.

Speaking about the procedures taken by the district administration to tackle the imminent third wave of COVID-19, the Collector, said, "We do not have to fear any virus, if anyone experiences any symptoms, they should immediately contact the nearest public health centre. We are creating awareness at schools, colleges, and public places. We will avert the third wave of COVID-19."

Earlier, on September 5, the Central government had rushed a medical team to the Kozhikode district of Kerala as the state reported the first death due to the Nipah virus.

The team also visited the house of a boy who died of the Nipah virus and collected samples of Rambutan fruits from the nearby vicinity to identify the source of infection.

Furthermore, the Centre has advised the locals to follow immediate public health measures including active case search in the family, families, village, and areas with similar topography (especially Malappuram), active contact tracing (for any contacts) during the past 12 days.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Nipah Virus is caused by fruit bats and is potentially fatal to humans as well as animals. Along with respiratory illness, it is also known to cause fever, muscular pain, headache, fever, dizziness, and nausea.