Don't panic, Nipah virus has been contained, says Kerala health minister

Family members of the patients admitted at Kozhikode Medical College wear safety masks as a precautionary measure. Pic/PTI

Kerala Health Minister K K Shailaja said that the outbreak of Nipah virus (NiV) has been contained and there was no need to panic. Seventeen people are being treated at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital.

The disease has been confined to Kozhikode and Malappuram districts. But the minister said two new cases of patients with suspected NiV were reported in Kozhikode and they were under observation. Shailaja told the media that though the virus had been contained, there was a need be alert.

"The entire expenditure of these patients would be borne by the state and there need not be any panic over bats. The government is awaiting the supply of ribavirin, a drug that's used for treating similar cases," she said.

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