Kerala gears up to fight Nipah virus

KOCHI: While it is yet to be confirmed that the 23-year-old student being treated for high fever in an Ernakulam hospital has been affected by the Nipah virus, the state government, unwilling to take chances, is assuming the worst.
The state health department has initiated precautionary measures, including keeping vaccines ready and setting up isolation wards in district hospitals. “The final report is awaited from NIV. Only after we receive that report can we confirm the patient’s exact status,” health minister K K Shailaja said Monday .