A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court was all praise for the efforts put in by the medical officers, nurses, and other medical staff in containing the Nipah outbreak.
The Bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Hrishikesh Roy observed that the medical officers and other medical staff had quickly responded and made all efforts to see that the outbreak was “tackled” and the spread of the virus was effectively contained. They had gone even beyond their call of duty. The Bench also appreciated the efforts of the Central and State governments in this regard.
The court made the observations while closing a writ petition seeking a directive to the Centre to take steps to remove the misleading videos posted on social media by Mohanan Vaidyan of Cherthala and Jacob Vadakanchery of Kochi on the outbreak of Nipah virus. The petition was filed by two students of the National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi. According to the petition, Mr. Mohanan and Mr. Jacob had posted a misleading message that Nipah virus did not exist.
The State government had submitted that steps were taken to curb misinformation campaigns launched by some fringe elements about Nipah besides making efforts to safeguard the lives of citizens. The uploading of videos on social media had interfered with the emergency medical operations undertaken by the State to contain the outbreak.