Amid rising cases of Nipah virus in neighbouring Kerala, authorities in Karnataka have sounded an alert in the district of Dakshina Kannada after a 12-year-old boy succumbed to the disease in Kerala on September 3.
In his appeal, Dakshina Kannada deputy Commissioner K V Rajendra asked people to remain alert and cautious. Health department officials have also been directed to carry out all precautionary measures necessary.
“A 12-year-old boy died of Nipah virus infection in Kozhikode district of Kerala on September 3. Since Dakshina Kannada district shares its border with Kerala and a large number of people commute for health and education purposes, a Nipah alert has been announced,” he said in a statement.
Nipah is a zoonotic virus which spreads from animals to humans and also transmitted directly between people. It can cause acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis besides fever, headache, cough and throat pain, the DC said and asked the people to inform the health department immediately if any person is found experiencing the symptoms.
The DC has called upon people to wash hands using detergents frequently and stay away from bats and pigs that cause the spread of the virus. “Do not consume fruits that were partly eaten by birds and animals,” he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
