Battle in Kerala
With all 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala at stake in the second phase of polling tomorrow, the electoral drama unfolds with its usual intensity, underscoring the unique political landscape of the state.
Nipah scare is back in Kerala as the state is awaiting the blood reports of a youth suspected to be infected by the virus.
According to a report in IANS, the Ernakulam health authorities said the Pune Virology Laboratory results were expected later on Monday.
The youth is being treated at a private hospital near Kochi.
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Health Minister KK Shailaja said the tests have been sent for confirmation to the National Institute of Virology, Pune.
She said the government is awaiting the final results but has already started putting preventive measures into place.
She further advised people showing any signs of having contracted the Nipah virus to get themselves admitted in a hospital.
The minister, however, negated claims made by the online media that the youth under treatment is a Nipah positive patient adding that there was no need for any concern.
According to an NDTV report, the 23-year-old studied in a college in Thodupuzha in Idukki and had stayed in Thrissur recently.
In May last year, the Nipah (NiV) virus attack had claimed 17 lives in Kerala with the majority cases being reported from Kozhikode and Malappuram districts that created a huge scare.
Nipah virus is a zoonotic virus (it is transmitted from animals to humans) and can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly between people. In infected people, it causes a range of illnesses from asymptomatic (subclinical) infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis.
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