Samples of mosquitoes, dead crows sent to NIV Alappuzha to find West Nile Virus's source
New Delhi: Samples of mosquitoes and dead crows have been sent to the National Institute of Virology, Alappuzha to find the source of the West Nile Virus which claimed the life of a six-year-old boy in Kerala's Malappuram district.
West Nile Fever is a mosquito-borne zoonotic disease and is related to viruses that cause Japanese encephalitis, yellow fever and St Louis encephalitis.
It is transmitted to humans via mosquito bites. The mosquitoes get the virus through infected birds.
"Human infection is most often due to bites from infected mosquitoes. To date, no human-to-human transmission of WNV through casual contact has been documented.
"Infection with WNV is either asymptomatic (no symptoms) in around 80 per cent of infected people, or can lead to West Nile fever or severe West Nile disease," a senior Health Ministry official said.
A government official said samples of mosquitoes were collected from various sites in Venniyoor in Malappuram district by the Vector Control Department officials and they were sent for testing.
"Besides, remains of four dead crows which were found in and around Venniyoor have also been sent to NIV, Alappuzha for testing," the official said.
"Officials at the Animal Husbandry Department laboratory in Malappuram conducted a post-mortem of the dead crows to take out their brains, livers and kidneys and then sent them for testing," the government official said.
The results are awaited, the official said.
On Tuesday, the Health Ministry along with officials from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) had reviewed the state's preparedness and the action taken to deal with West Nile Fever (WNF) in Mallapuram district.
According to Health Ministry officials, the child's death could be the first fatality due to the vector-borne disease reported from the country.
A multi-disciplinary central team is already deputed in Mallapuram to investigate various epidemiological aspects of West Nile Virus (WNV) and also to help the district administration in its prevention and management.
The state has been advised to follow the National Vector Borne Disease Control Program (NVBDCP) guidelines of personal protective measures to prevent mosquito bites.
The ministry has also recommended that vector surveillance and control be carried out in coordination with the NVBDCP.
"It has been advised that all cases of Japanese Encephalitis (JE)/Acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) are to be investigated as per guidelines of JE/AES and also tested for West Nile Virus. Further, the community is to be sensitized through IEC campaigns on use of personal protective measures to prevent mosquito bites as per the NVBDCP guidelines," a senior Health Ministry official said.
The boy was admitted to the intensive care unit of the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital after he tested positive for the virus. He died on Monday.
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AAP accuses Chadha of indulging in 'soft PR', dodging key issues in Parliament
New Delhi (PTI): The AAP on Friday hit back at party MP Raghav Chadha, accusing him of shying away from raising issues against the Centre in Parliament and instead engaging in "soft PR".
Delhi Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) President Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that Chadha failed to toe the party's line on several matters in Parliament and did not join opposition walkouts on key issues.
"We all are soldiers of Arvind Kejriwal, the Centre doesn't care about soft PR or talking about samosas at airport canteens when bigger issues are at stake," Bharadwaj said in a video posted on X.
"Whenever the Opposition staged a walkout in Parliament, you (Chadha) did not participate. You did not raise issues concerning Punjab, from where you are elected, and you hid in a foreign country when former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was arrested," he added.
AAP national media in-charge Anurag Dhanda also criticised Chadha, questioning whether someone who "fears" Prime Minister Narendra Modi can fight for the country.
"In West Bengal, the right to vote is being snatched away. When a proposal against the CEC came up in the House, you (Chadha) refused to sign it," Dhanda said on X.
"In Parliament, we get limited time to speak, and it can be used either to fight for the nation or discuss trivial matters like cheaper samosas at airport canteens," Dhanda said, adding that Chadha has been hesitant to speak on "real issues" for the last few years.
The remarks came after Chadha earlier in the day said he was "silenced, not defeated", a day after being removed as the AAP's deputy leader in Rajya Sabha.
