Nipah virus: Take more precautions to prevent outbreak, Karnataka CM directs health officials

New Delhi: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has directed advised the state health officials to be cautious against the Nipah virus and to take more precautions to prevent its outbreak.

Addressing the media in New Delhi, Bommai said on Wednesday that the officials have been advised to take precautionary measures in the wake of Nipah virus cases reported in the neighbouring state of Kerala.

"The health department secretaries and a panel of experts have been instructed to take early measures," he stated. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Govinda Karajola, ministers V Somanna and CC Patil and MP Shivakumar Udasi were also present with the chief minister.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Karnataka government issued an advisory to prevent the outbreak of Nipah virus infection in the state and instructed the district administrations to monitor the arrivals from Kerala for symptoms like fever, altered mental status, severe weakness, headache, respiratory distress, cough, vomiting, muscle pain, convulsion and diarrhoea.

It also instructed the authorities to spread public awareness in this regard and develop a systematic surveillance system to identify clusters of encephalitis cases for early detection of Nipah outbreaks.

Meanwhile, Kerala reported its first death due to the Nipah virus on Sunday following which the Centre advised immediate public health measures for the state. 

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