All educational institutions in Kozhikode district, whose reopening after summer holidays had been delayed owing to Nipah outbreak, will reopen, as scheduled earlier, on June 12.
Earlier, the district administration and the Health Department had taken stock of the situation and concluded that the outbreak had been brought under control. However, surveillance measures will continue till June 30.
District Collector U.V. Jose and Health Services Director R.L. Saritha told the media at the Government Guest House here on Thursday that no new Nipah cases had been reported in the district. Twenty-five samples that had been sent for virology tests had also tested negative.
However, five persons with suspected infection are under observation at the Government Medical College Hospital, the officials said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Saritha rubbished rumours of a person having been admitted to the Alappuzha Government Medical College Hospital with Nipah infection. The news had created scare among the public as the patient had travelled to Kozhikode in May.
She said though the patient had travelled to Kozhikode, he had not been in close contact with anyone with Nipah infection. Even preliminary investigations revealed that he had none of the Nipah symptoms.
Even then his blood and fluid samples were subjected to virological examinations, and they were confirmed negative. The public need not panic by rumour scaremongering on social media, Dr. Saritha said.
The police have already arrested a number of people for reportedly spreading a notice on a fake letter pad claiming to have been released by the Kozhikode District Medical Officer. Some of them hailed from Nallalam, Nadakkavu and Feroke regions in the district.