Nipah virus: Travel advisory to nurses, nursing students from Kerala

Amidst rising concerns about Nipah virus (NiV) following an outbreak in Kerala, the State Health Department has advised all hospitals to ensure that nurses and nursing students from Kerala, who are working or studying in Karnataka, restrict their travel plans at least for the next two months.

The advisory has been issued as part of the guidelines to all health facilities to prevent the NiV infection from entering the State.

“As of now, there are no cases in Karnataka. There is no need to panic. But we need to prevent the infection from entering the State. It is essential for frequent travellers to Kerala to take adequate precautions,” State National Health Mission (NHM) Programme Manager B.G. Prakash told The Hindu.

“Most hospitals in our State have nurses from Kerala. Besides, several nursing students from that State are studying here. We have asked hospitals and nursing colleges to advise them to travel only if it is unavoidable. They should take adequate precautions if they are travelling and avoid visiting Kozhikode and Malappuram districts in Kerala,” he said.

Dr. Prakash, who is also the Deputy Director, National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, said the hospitals have also been asked to educate their staff on essential precautions and to avoid close contact with infected persons during the travel period.

Health Director P.L. Nataraj, who along with other top officials conducted a video conference with district health officials on Wednesday, said rapid response teams have been alerted to step up surveillance. “We also discussed on how, if such a situation arises, to involve private hospitals in containing the epidemic. District officials have been directed to keep a few beds ready in hospitals to treat cases, if anyone is detected,” he said.

Pointing out that the patients in the two suspected cases in Mangaluru are recovering, Dr. Nataraj said their test reports from NIV, Pune, are awaited. “The department has geared up to deal with the situation. There is no need for people to panic, as the infection is not airborne,” he said.