Nipah Virus: Goa govt to instruct doctors to stay vigilant
What's the story
Following the outbreak of Nipah Virus in the state of Kerala, the Goa government will instruct its doctors to stay vigilant. Even though there is no case of Nipah virus reported in the state, the Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said that if doctors find a patient showing symptoms of the virus, they would be asked to immediately send that person's samples for testing.
Protocol
A committee notified to draw a protocol
Rane notified a committee, headed by the health secretary and other department officers, which would draw a protocol, in case there are cases of the virus reported in Goa. "At present, there is no reason to worry as there is not a single case of Nipah virus in Goa. The Centre has also not issued any alert except for a general advisory," Rane said.
Circular
Circular will be issued to doctors
The minister said, "A circular would be issued to all private and government doctors in the state to stay vigilant about symptoms of the virus being seen in any patient." Doctors would be asked to send the samples of such patients to the state-run Goa Medical College and Hospital, which would then send it to the Pune-based National Institute of Virology for testing.
Deaths
Nipah virus claimed 10 lives in Kerala
The Nipah virus has so far claimed 10 lives in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts in north Kerala. The fruit-eating bats are the primary host of the Nipah Virus, which can cause the disease in both animals and humans. So far, there is no vaccine against the Nipah virus which was first identified in 1998 in Kampung Sungai Nipah in Malaysia.