Union Health Ministry issues special instructions to UP and Kerala

Following the outbreak of the Nipah virus in Kozhikode district of Kerala, the Union Health Ministry has asked the State government to strengthen hospital and community-based surveillance. On the other hand, the health ministry has asked the Uttar Pradesh government to screen all fever patients for dengue, malaria, scrub typhus and leptospirosis following the outbreak of dengue.

New Delhi: Following the outbreak of the Nipah virus in Kozhikode district of Kerala, the Union Health Ministry has asked the State government to strengthen hospital and community-based surveillance. On the other hand, the health ministry has asked the Uttar Pradesh government to screen all fever patients for dengue, malaria, scrub typhus and leptospirosis following the outbreak of dengue.

The instruction was given after two Central teams deputed in these two States submitted their report to the health ministry. A Central team from National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) visited the Kozhikode district of Kerala on September 5 in the wake of the Nipah outbreak in that district. The team interacted with the family members of 12 year-old-child who died of infection.

Based on the report of the central team, the health ministry emphasised that awareness need to be created among the field formations for early detection of cases of acute encephalitis syndrome/respiratory distress and risk communicated to the public. In a letter sent to Kerala chief secretary Dr VP Joy, union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan suggested five points recommendations to fight the Nipah virus.

Read: Kerala authorities intensify efforts to trace origin of Nipah virus

The health ministry has asked for surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory support, hospital infrastructure and logistics as well as information, administration and coordination.

In a separate letter written to Uttar Pradesh chief secretary Rajendra Kumar Tiwari, health secretary Bhushan has suggested that activities related to fever survey, vector control and fever camps continue as per the micro plan submitted by the central team. The health ministry sent a central team comprising NCDC and National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) to Faridabad to investigate the cause of fever outbreak and deaths among children.

The central team has observed that the majority of cases are due to dengue, while a few are because of scrub typhus and leptospirosis. "Vector indices were also found to be high with house index and container index, both above 50 percent, in Firozabad district and accordingly the vector surveillance and control measures have been instituted," Bhushan said in his letter.

Significantly, NCDC has deputed two EIS officers in the district for a period of the next 14 days and they will assist the district in strengthening its outbreak response.

Read:Ballia registers significant rise in viral fever cases