Kerala on alert after two suspected Nipah cases spark concern in three districts
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Health authorities in Kerala on Friday issued an alert across three northern districts after two people showed possible signs of Nipah virus infection, reviving fears of an outbreak that the state has battled in the past.
Health alerts have been issued in the districts of Kozhikode, Malappuram, and Palakkad, officials said.
The suspected cases from Malappuram and Palakkad districts were flagged during routine testing at government medical colleges in Kozhikode and Malappuram.
Samples have been rushed to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for confirmation, an official release said here.
"We have already strengthened preventive measures in line with Nipah protocol," said Health Minister Veena George after chairing an emergency meeting to assess the situation.
In Kozhikode, Malappuram and Palakkad districts, 26 special teams have been formed in each region to carry out contact tracing, monitor symptoms and inform the public.
Help from the police has been sought to identify people who may have been exposed to the patients, the minister said.
District collectors have been asked to prepare containment zones, and public announcements are being made to raise awareness.
State and local helplines are being set up to assist the public.
Officials are also being urged to check if any unnatural or unexplained deaths have occurred in recent weeks -- one of the key warning signs of a potential outbreak, she said.
Another high-level meeting will be held this evening to take stock of the evolving situation and ensure all precautions are in place.
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UP Cong chief Ajay Rai hospitalised after fainting, stable
Lucknow (PTI): Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai was hospitalised here after he fell unconscious due to low sodium levels, party leaders said on Saturday.
They said he was admitted to Medanta Hospital on Friday evening and is stable.
"Ajay Rai was admitted to Medanta Hospital in Lucknow at around 6 pm on Friday after he fell unconscious as his sodium levels had dropped. He fell unconscious at his residence in Lucknow. For the entire day, he was engaged in party programmes and had also gone to the airport," Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi told PTI.
Congress in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Avinash Pande told PTI, "Now, he (Ajay Rai) is stable and I am also reaching Lucknow."
Medanta Hospital Director Dr Rakesh Kapoor told PTI that Rai collapsed at his home on Friday evening and was subsequently admitted to the hospital's emergency ward.
Medical examinations revealed that Rai was suffering from a sodium deficiency and elevated blood pressure. Doctors administered immediate treatment and he is doing significantly better now, Kapoor said.
A team of doctors is monitoring his health. Rai is conversing with others and his condition is stable, he added.
In a post on X late Friday night, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished Rai a speedy recovery.
Rai hails from Varanasi and had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections against Modi from the parliamentary constituency. The Congress appointed him as the Uttar Pradesh unit chief in 2023.
