PANJIM: In the wake of Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala, the State Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Monday, has asked the people of Goa not to panic as the health department has been directed to take all the necessary precautions to prevent it.
Rane, who held a high-level meeting, directed GMC to quarantine an eight-bedded isolated ward in the hospital as a precautionary measure to house Nipah patient if any reported in the State.
A case of Nipah virus was reported from Kerala’s Ernakulum district on June 3 and the condition of the infected college student was later declared stable.
Speaking to media, Rane said that there is no need to panic as the situation in Kerala is under control. “The Kerala health ministry under the guidance of Union Ministry for Health has brought the situation under control. The Nipah outbreak has not spread in the entire state of Kerala but only in few areas,” he said.
Rane said that the Centre has given a clear protocol to control the spread of Nipah Virus which is being followed by State governments of Kerala and Goa. “I have directed GMC to set up isolation room in case of any case of suspected Nipah Virus is detected in the State,” he added.
Further, allaying fears about travelling to Kerala, Rane said that he himself would be travelling to that state in the next two days.
“The Kerala government has succeeded in restricting the virus to 2-3 areas only,” he added further.
