more-in Awareness sessions and precautionary measures are in full swing at Sooppikkada village in Changaroth grama panchayat limits near Perambra, where the death of three persons from a family due to viral encephalitis and myocarditis in the past fortnight had led to a panic situation. Ayisha K.K., grama panchayat president, told The Hindu on Sunday that efforts were on to allay the fears of the village residents. “All sorts of messages are being spread through WhatsApp and Facebook for the past two days. Health authorities have assured us that there is no reason to panic as the deceased and those who are hospitalised are members of only one family and those who have interacted with them,” she said. A public meeting was held at Panthirikkara in the evening. Personnel from the local primary health centre and the Perambra taluk hospital held medical camps at Sooppikkada. Asked about the reports that a couple of families in the neighbourhood were evacuated following the deaths, Ms. Ayisha said it was part of precautionary measures. Health personnel had been undertaking fogging and sanitising works in the area and the residents had been advised to exercise caution for the time being. The Health Department has reportedly advised against visiting the house of the deceased too. Meanwhile, an expert team led by G. Arun Kumar, Manipal Centre for Virus Research, collected blood and body fluid samples of around 40 persons in the vicinity. So far, the samples of 128 people have been sent for tests. Water samples from a well in the house of the deceased have been collected and the pet rabbit there was examined by veterinary experts. M.K. Raghavan and Mullappally Ramachandran, MPs, have written to Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda to depute a Central team to the district to help health authorities.

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