State following Centre’s guidelines to prevent Nipah from spreading to T.N.: Health Minister 

Tamil Nadu Health Dept. follows guidelines issued by the Union Government to prevent Nipah spreading to the State. Public Health and Preventive Medicine Department staff are screening people who come from Kerala to Tamil Nadu via six districts that have intestate border.

The Health Department was following the guidelines and protocols issued by the Union government to prevent Nipah virus infection, which claimed two lives in Kerala, from spreading to neighbouring Tamil Nadu, Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said on Thursday.

He said the staff from the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine were screening people coming from Kerala to Tamil Nadu via six districts that have intestate borders using infrared thermometer. “The staff are checking whether the passengers have fever or symptoms of the disease. If any passenger is found with fever or symptoms, he or she will be shifted to special wards for treatment,” the Minister said, after inspecting the screening at Meenakshipuram checkpost in Coimbatore district, along with Collector Kranthi Kumar Pati, Director of Public Health Preventive Medicine T.S. Selvavinayagam and others.

According to Mr. Subramanian, screening was being conducted at border checkposts in the Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Theni, Tenkasi and Kanniyakumari districts. A total of 3,887 people were screened at Walayar checkpost on Wednesday.

In Coimbatore district, the screening is being done at six inter-State checkposts, he added.

He further said that Kerala government was effectively handling the Nipah outbreak and taking measures to contain the spread of the virus. Three people have died of dengue in Tamil Nadu since January this year and various control measures were being taken to prevent it from spreading. On Tuesday, the Chief Secretary had held a meeting with secretaries of various departments, in which various steps have been taken. A meeting, chaired by the Minister, of Deans of all medical college hospitals, Deputy Directors and Joint Directors of Health Services will be held in Chennai on Saturday to discuss measures to be taken in coordination with local bodies to prevent the spread of dengue.

The Minister said a total of 2.11 lakh samples had been collected and tested so far this year to test prevalence of dengue in the State.