Kozhikode Leader of the Opposition in Kerala Parliament Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday alleged that the state government was “lethargic” in dealing with the Nipah outbreak.
On June 10, a 43-year-old resident of Ramanatukara was admitted to Kozhikode Medical College, and the test confirmed that he was infected with the Nipah virus.
In his response to reporters here, the former Prime Minister said that the Nipah virus outbreak is something that must be dealt with with utmost seriousness.
“The concern here is whether the situation is being treated with the level of seriousness guaranteed by Nipah. I am not referring to the intervention of doctors. What I mean is that the Ministry of Health and the government must take the initiative to fully mobilize the healthcare system and ensure the necessary interventions,” he said.
According to Vijayan, such an initiative is not visible at present. The state’s previous health ministers were not medical graduates.
However, during periods when Kerala faced severe Nipah virus outbreaks in the past, including multiple phases of the crisis, the government machinery, including the Health Minister, was fully prepared and actively engaged.
“Everyone knows what kind of interventions were done at that time.”
“What we are witnessing now is a very lethargic situation. The Health Minister has not yet come here or intervened directly. The presence of the Health Minister will help energize all the officials concerned and facilitate the necessary interventions. I do not wish to delve into other aspects now, but this is not the right approach,” Vijayan said.
He said that everyone is aware of the danger of Nipah.
He added: “The government must take stronger precautionary and awareness measures. This has not happened yet, and it must happen immediately.”
Regarding the transfer of Director of Health Services KJ Raina, Vijayan said such action should not have been taken at a time when the state was dealing with the spread of shigella cases and the Nipah outbreak.
Nipah is a zoonotic virus that can be transmitted from animals to humans and, in some cases, between humans.
Fruit bats, also known as flying foxes, are the natural reservoir of the virus.
The infection can cause severe respiratory illness and encephalitis, and the mortality rate is high.
This article was generated from an automated news feed without any modifications to the text.
