Nipha Virus: It is a fake news In chittoor

Scotching the rumours widely reported in certain sections of the media of a medical personnel contracting the Nipah virus, Chittoor district Collector P.S. Pradyumna on Sunday clarified that there was no such case.

To allay panic, Mr. Pradyumna visited the woman, who was put under observation in the Ruia hospital.

“We have received an alert from the Kerala government to put her under observation as she had worked with patients with the virus in Kozhikode. On Saturday night, we visited her residence and informed her about the precaution to be taken on behalf of the government, for which she readily cooperated. The doctors have confirmed that she has not shown any symptoms and is quite healthy,” he maintained.

Mr. Pradyumna said the symptoms would usually manifest in the first few days and she did not show any, despite being there for nearly nine days.“To clear doubts, We will also send blood samples for testing,” he said. The media must observe restraint while reporting such sensitive incidents, he said.Asked about the readiness in case of an outbreak, Mr. Pradyumna said they were ready to tackle the issue and inform the appropriate measures/precautions, if any.

“As there is no cure, the focus is on clinical management. There is no need to panic as there is no case in the district,” he reiterated.Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu discussed the issue with Mr. Pradyumna and directed him to submit a report on the incident.