‘Rare virus’ kills three of a family in Kerala’s Kozhikode; relatives, nurse too admitted to hospital
Kozhikode: There is panic in this coastal city of Kerala after three members of a family died due to a ‘rare virus’ over the last fortnight. A woman from the family succumbed at a private hospital at Changaroth near Perambra on Saturday. She had contracted viral encephalitis, reported The Times of India. Health Minister K K Shailaja said they have taken note of the situation.
An emergency meeting of senior health and district administration officials was also held on Saturday night to assess the situation, after which the minister said a “rare virus” was the cause of the deaths.
“Tests conducted at the Manipal virology laboratory have revealed that a rare virus, which is not commonly found in the state, has caused the deaths. The samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune to ascertain the exact type of virus. We expect the results by tomorrow (Sunday) or day after,” the minister said, as per the newspaper.
The report said there was panic in the area following the deaths and that the health department has been put on high alert.
Mariyam (50) passed away on Saturday. She was the aunt of VK Salih, who breathed last just a day before on Friday. Salih’s brother Muhammed Sahid (26) was the first one to succumb to the virus at the Kozhikode Medical College on May 5.
In fact, Salih’s fiancée Athifa (19) and his father Moosa are also ill and admitted at different private hospitals in Kochi and Kozhikode. Further, a nurse who works at the Peramba hospital and one relative of Salih who took part in the funeral rites are also admitted at two different hospitals.
While asking the people not to panic and believe the rumours, Health Minister Shailaja said they have informed the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and asked the Centre to send in a team of medical experts to the affected area.
The minister said the virus is believed to spread through contact with body fluids. The government has asked the Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital to open a special isolation ward for any future cases connected to the virus.
Related Topics
Related News & Articles
How Skill India has impacted the national skills ecosystem.
Recently posted . 647 views . 0 min read
Father Kuriakose Kattuthara had claimed that there were attempts by the church to hush up the sexual assault complaint of the nun against bishop Mulakkal of Jalandh...
Recently posted . 555 views . 1 min read
Atal Bihari Vajpayee joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in 1939, and in 1951, was seconded to its political wing, the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. He steadily rose i...
Recently posted . 599 views . 2 min read
HYDERABAD: Four employees of Kamineni Hospital at Narketpally were sacked and a police complaint lodged against them after they took a selfie wit...
Recently posted . 956 views . 2 min read
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan took to Facebook to express his grief over her death, and wrote, "Lini’s sacrifice is incomparable."
Recently posted . 509 views . 1 min read
Trending News & Articles
While the Uttarakhand High Court has asked to block 857 websites, the Ministry of Electronics and IT (Meity) found 30 portals without any pornographic content.
...
Recently posted . 61K views . 1 min read
The four boys as well as five school officials, including the director and principal, were arrested after the incident. The minors were presented before the Juvenil...
Recently posted . 8K views . 1 min read
Rahul was having an Italian passport and was carrying suitcase full of dollars. Some say it was about was it $2 million.
Rahul and his girl friend was th...
Recently posted . 7K views . 7 min read
True – Tr...
Recently posted . 6K views . 83 min read
More in National
Lucknow: A suspected militant, related with the Khurasan module of the feared dread outfit ISIS, was killed following 12 hours of anti-terror operation by the Utt...
Recently posted. 699 views . 26 min read
Doordarshan staffer Mormukut Sharma recorded a heart wrenching video as he lay on the ground during the Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh, which left one of his collea...
Recently posted. 852 views . 1 min read
Islamabad: Pakistan has been forced to reject China's aid for the $14 billion Diamer-Bhasha Dam, which the country plans to build in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir a...
Recently posted. 649 views . 1 min read
Recently posted . 667 views
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 1K views . 126 min read
Recently posted . 1K views . 88 min read
A lot is cooking in the great urn called India’s democracy… but who will emerge as the winner – if Narendra Modi falls?
Recently posted. 595 views . 1 min read
TV and films producer Ekta Kapoor joins the brigade of single mothers in Bollywood, welcomes baby boy via surrogacy.
Recently posted. 574 views . 1 min read