Kozhikode: The Kerala government and its health machinery seemed to be in the dark about the source of the Nipah virus even as reports emerged in national media that bats caused the outbreak. A national newspaper quoted a report by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) as saying that the Nipan sweep was caused by fruit bats.
The Kerala government declared Kozhikode and Malappuram districts free of the Nipah virus, the source of the disease still remains a mystery. Kerala doctors are yet to get any official communication regarding the cause from the ICMR, though latest reports from New Delhi confirmed that fruit bats were indeed the source for Nipah outbreak in Perambra in Kozhikode district. It added that the results turned positive from among the fruit bat samples sent from here.
The reports seems credible as they quoted the ICMR as well as Union minister for health and family welfare JP Nadda.
Read more: How to tackle Nipah virus: Valuable lessons from Malaysia
District veterinary officer Mohandas, who sent the bat samples a month ago, said that he was yet to get any official communication from the Centre as well as the ICMR. “Nearly 60 bat samples, including one insectivore, were sent to ICMR for tests. The results from the first set of samples were negative. The new results are yet to reach here,” said Mohandas.
Kozhikode government medical college principal VR Rajendran also said he was yet to receive any official communication on the same. “It would be good to ascertain the cause of the outbreak and help the preventive measures in future. We are also waiting for the official confirmation on the same,” he said.
How Kozhikode tamed Nipah so well, so fast
A P Sugunan, scientist, Regional Medical Research Centre of the ICMR, Port Blair, who is part of the ICMR team camping here to conduct an epidemiological study into the source of the infection, is also yet to confirm the results from New Delhi. So far there is no confirmation about the presence of the virus from the samples sent from affected area, Sugunan said.
The dreaded Nipah had claimed 17 lives in the state. The government had on June 11 lifted the travel advisory it had issued in the wake of the virus and had said it was safe to travel to any part of the state.
It had lifted the high alert in the districts and said the virus has been brought under control and its spread checked.
Read more: Latest Kerala news
