Experts from apex national lab reach state to contain spread of infection

NEWDELHI: A seven-member multidisciplinary team of experts from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and animal husbandry is in Kerala to investigate and help the state government contain the spread of the Nipah virus infection.

The team from NCDC, the country’s nodal agency for investigating outbreaks of communicable diseases, is headed by director Dr Sujeet K Singh. It will monitor and contain the spread of infection from Chengaroth, Kozhikode.

The team includes Dr P Ravindran, director, emergency medical relief, Dr SK Jain, head of epidemiology, and Dr Naveen Gupta, head zoonoses from the NCDC, along with two clinicians and a veterinarian from the department of animal husbandry in the ministry of agriculture.

Health Secretary Preeti Sudan also spoke to the Kerala principal health secretary and is in constant touch with the experts. “The samples are being collected and sent to our apex laboratory, the National Institute of Virology in Pune, for testing, and our expert team is already on its way to conduct a detailed investigation into the spread of infection and deaths,” said Sudan.

Union health minister JP Nadda, who is attending the World Health Assembly in Geneva, tweeted late on Sunday that he was closely monitoring the situation. On Monday, Nadda also discussed the situation with MOS for tourism Alphons Kannathanam and Kerala health minister K Shailaja.

In a statement from Geneva, Nadda, said, “We are closely monitoring the situation. I have spoken to health minister, Kerala, and assured all support of the Central government. I have also dispatched a Central team to assist the State government and initiate required steps.”