18 dead bats in Himachal school causes Nipah virus scare

Amidst the news of the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala, more than 18 dead bats were discovered on Wednesday in the premises of a government school in Himachal Pradesh’s Nahan, triggering panic among locals.

Amidst the news of the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala, more than 18 dead bats were discovered on Wednesday in the premises of a government school in Himachal Pradesh’s Nahan, triggering panic among locals.

Officers of the health, animal husbandry and forest departments arrived at the Burma Papadi School, following a directive from the deputy commissioner, and took samples of the dead bats for further investigation.

However, the officials denied rumours of fears of the Nipah virus as of now. The district’s chief medical officer, Dr Sanjay Sharma, said that although the bats visit the area every year, this year their numbers are significantly higher.

“The principal of the school and students said that bats come here every year, and eventually perish. However, this year, their numbers are far greater than in previous years,” Sharma said.

“We have informed the teachers and students about the Nipah virus, its symptoms and preventive measures. We told them to avoid physical contact in case of an outbreak as this is a communicative disease,” he added.

Suparna Bharadwaj, principal of the school, said, “In such a situation, there is panic among people. After the deaths in Kerala, and now dead bats found here, fears of Nipah virus cannot be overlooked. The students were informed of the disease and its preventive measures so as to exercise all precautions in case of an outbreak and inform as many people as possible.”

The death toll in the deadly Nipah virus outbreak has so far, risen up to 10, Kerala health minister KK Shailaja confirmed.

Earlier, Kerala governor P Sathasivam appealed to the people of the state not to panic over rumours being circulated about the spread of the virus and requested everyone to follow the advisories issued by the state health department.

Also, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the state government is closely monitoring the outbreak and taking steps to prevent its further spread. Taking cognizance of the issue, union health minister JP Nadda also directed to constitute a team of six doctors to probe the outbreak of the virus.

Read moreAmidst the news of the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala, more than 18 dead bats were discovered on Wednesday in the premises of a government school in Himachal Pradesh’s Nahan, triggering panic among locals.

Officers of the health, animal husbandry and forest departments arrived at the Burma Papadi School, following a directive from the deputy commissioner, and took samples of the dead bats for further investigation.

However, the officials denied rumours of fears of the Nipah virus as of now. The district’s chief medical officer, Dr Sanjay Sharma, said that although the bats visit the area every year, this year their numbers are significantly higher.

“The principal of the school and students said that bats come here every year, and eventually perish. However, this year, their numbers are far greater than in previous years,” Sharma said.

“We have informed the teachers and students about the Nipah virus, its symptoms and preventive measures. We told them to avoid physical contact in case of an outbreak as this is a communicative disease,” he added.

Suparna Bharadwaj, principal of the school, said, “In such a situation, there is panic among people. After the deaths in Kerala, and now dead bats found here, fears of Nipah virus cannot be overlooked. The students were informed of the disease and its preventive measures so as to exercise all precautions in case of an outbreak and inform as many people as possible.”

The death toll in the deadly Nipah virus outbreak has so far, risen up to 10, Kerala health minister KK Shailaja confirmed.

Earlier, Kerala governor P Sathasivam appealed to the people of the state not to panic over rumours being circulated about the spread of the virus and requested everyone to follow the advisories issued by the state health department.

Also, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the state government is closely monitoring the outbreak and taking steps to prevent its further spread. Taking cognizance of the issue, union health minister JP Nadda also directed to constitute a team of six doctors to probe the outbreak of the virus.

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