KOCHI: Health minister K K Shailaja said the government is taking all measures to prevent the further spread of Nipah virus . “Everyone in the family of the deceased persons in Kozhikode are under surveillance. We have taken all possible measures to prevent the spread of the disease,” she said.Dr Amar Fettle , special officer for H1N1 , said that this is the first time a Nipah case has been reported in Kerala. “Earlier, such cases were reported in West Bengal. There is no medicine and vaccination for the disease. We don’t need to panic as it spreads only through close contact with an infected person. How fatal it proves to be depends on the infective dose, resistance power of the person infected, environment and climate,” he said.The virus won’t spread through air. “It will affect a person’s heart and brain. Avoiding close contact with an infected person and taking proper precautions will prevent further spread of the virus. Wash your hands properly after touching an infected patient; wearing masks is essential,” he said.“Experts from Manipal’s virus research centre had visited the house of deceased in Kozhikode. Family members contracted the disease while cleaning a well on their premises. An infected bat was found in the well. So, we have closed the well,” Shailaja said.“We have informed agencies like WHO,” she said, adding that government will spread awareness about the virus through social media. “We request everyone not to mislead people and create panic through misinformation on social media,” she said.Additional director of health service Dr K J Reena said: “We had sent six samples to the institute and it confirmed that three of them tested positive for Nipah virus. We have also collected blood samples of 20 more persons who had close contact with the three deceased. It will be sent to Pune.”

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