Kerala: Samples of crows, mosquitoes test negative for West Nile virus, health authorities concerned
New Delhi, Apr 3: Kerala health authorities are still clueless about the source of the infection which claimed the life of a six-year-old boy in Malappuram last month as the samples of crows and mosquitoes tested negative for the West Nile Virus.
According to a health ministry official, samples of mosquitoes were collected by the Vector Control Department from various parts of Venniyur, where the deceased resided, and remains of four dead crows found in and around the area were sent to the National Institute of Virology in Alappuzha to test for the virus.
The samples have tested negative, the heath ministry official said.
"It is a major concern as the source of the virus has still not been ascertained. More samples of mosquitoes are being sent for testing. Also a stern monitoring has been put in place at Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary to keep a tab on the death of any bird as the virus is also known to spread through migratory birds," the official said.
West Nile Virus is a mosquito-borne disease and related to viruses that cause Japanese encephalitis, Yellow Fever and St Louis Encephalitis.
The mosquitoes catch the virus through infected birds. The virus is most often transmitted to humans via mosquitoes and human-to-human transmission of the virus is very rare.
The Kerala government has set up a multi-disciplinary team in Malappuram to investigate various epidemiological aspects of West Nile Fever and also to aid the district administration in preventing and managing the disease.
To prevent mosquito bites, the state has been asked to follow the National Vector Borne Disease Control (NVBDCP) programme of personal protection.
Further, all cases of Japanese Encephalitis or Acute Encephalitis syndrome are being inspected as per the guidelines of the disease and also tested for West Nile Virus.
The directive comes after the young boy from Malappuram in Kerala succumbed to West Nile Virus on Monday after being admitted at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital since early March.
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KKR land Green for record-breaking Rs 25.20 crore; Shaw, Sarfaraz go unsold
Abu Dhabi (PTI): Kolkata Knight Riders splurged a record-breaking Rs 25.20 to land top Australian all-rounder Cameron Green even as Indian stars Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan went unsold in the Indian Premier League players' auction here on Tuesday.
Green surpassed compatriot Mitchell Starc (Rs 24.75 crore) to become the most expensive overseas player at an IPL auction. This was after Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings were involved in an intense bidding war for him before the latter emerged winner.
KKR also went after Venkatesh Iyer before pulling out of the race against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who fetched the services of the India all-rounder for Rs 7 crore.
As far as Green is concerned, his salary for the season would still be Rs 18 crore (USD 1.9 million) as the rest of the amount will go towards the BCCI's player development programme as per the rules of the auction for foreign players.
Green, who previously turned up for Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, has so far played 29 matches in the IPL to aggregate 707 runs and take 16 wickets.
Shaw, however, went unsold despite his fine run of form in the domestic circuit lately, and so was the case with Sarfaraz, who smashed a 22-ball 73 in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match for Mumbai on Tuesday.
Big-hitting South African batter David Miller was bought by Delhi Capitals for his base price of Rs 2 crore, but New Zealand swashbuckler Devon Conway, whose base price was also Rs 2 crore, went unsold in the auction.
Seasoned South African opener Quinton de Kock returned to his old base Mumbai Indians for a base price of Rs 1 crore.
A total of 359 players -- 246 Indians and 113 overseas players -- are part of the mini auction pool with the 10 franchises bidding to fill up a maximum of 77 slots, including 31 reserved for foreign players.
