Nipah virus: AIIMS team camps in Kerala, Health Minister calls for calm

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New Delhi: With 10 deaths reported from Kerala and two more being suspected as cases being related to Nipah virus, Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Wednesday said that all measures are being taken to contain the epidemic.

The deadly Nipah virus has claimed at least 10 lives in Kerala in the last two days and is threatening to spread to other states like Maharashtra and Goa. Teams from AIIMS and National Centre for Disease Control have been camping in Kerala and Nadda said he is contantly in touch with them. "Spoke with both Director NCDC and AIIMS team camping in Kerala. Instructed them to leave no stone unturned in terms of proactively countering the nipah virus threat," he tweeted early morning Wednesday. "I urge everyone to stay alert and avoid rumours."

Spoke with both Director NCDC and AIIMS team camping in Kerala. Instructed them to leave no stone unturned in terms of proactively countering the nipah virus threat. I urge eveyone to stay alert and avoid rumours. #NipahVirus — Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) May 23, 2018

Hospitals across the state have been put on high alert and locals are being urged to report if any of the initial symptoms are experienced. According to World Health Organisation, Nipah virus causes severe nerve damage in humans and animals and its symptoms include fever, headache, drowsiness, disorientation and mental confusion. In extreme cases, it may also result in patients going to coma. Pigs and fruit bats are the major carriers of the virus and people have been warned to avoid eating pork - especially in Kerala.

Such is the danger from the virus that authorities in Goa have been told to check passengers coming in from Kerala to ensure it does not Nipah does not spread. It is feared that the virus could even spread to Mumbai in the next few days.