Pinarayi Vijayan warns against false campaigns

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday appealed to the people to  follow instructions of Health department on Nipah and ignore false campaigns being carried out by different quarters.

The Chief Minister said stringent action would be taken against those who spread misinformation. State is in constant contact with the Union ministry for health. A team of experts has arrived in Kochi. Their inputs will also inform efforts against Nipah.

Mr Vijayan said the state’s health network has risen up to meet the challenge. All necessary arrangements are being made under the direct supervision of health minister. Contact tracing and tracking down of those who have interacted with the infected person have been completed.

The confirmation of the infection should not be a reason of panic.

“We request everyone to follow the instructions of the health department. Stringent action will be taken against those who spread misinformation. Together, we overcame the battle against Nipah in 2018. This time too, we are going to prevail in this battle,” the chief minister said.

During the previous episode of Nipah virus, the police had registered cases against traditional medicine practitioner Mohanan Master and naturopthy therapist  Jacob Vadakkanchery for allegedly misleading people. At that time the health activists had called upon the government to scale up surveillance for checking such campaigns on the social media.

Last year in an open letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Info clinic, a voluntary organisation of doctors, had raised the issue of Mohanan’s controversial video and Vadakanch-erry's stand and sought action against them.  In the video Mohanan claimed to be consuming fruits allegedly eaten by fruit bats.

His Facebook post was shared by 15,000 people in no time. Doctors said such posts  could send a wrong message. In Bangladesh people contracted Nipah virus after consuming fruits eaten by infected fruit bats.

Since the possibility of virus getting transmitted from bats to humans and from humans to others was high, consuming fruits eaten by fruit bats should be completely avoided.  Health department has already issues specific directions in this regard.

According to experts, in Kerala there are 56 species of bats. Of these there are four species in which the virus was found outside the country. It may not be necessary that the fruits eaten by Mohanan may have been consumed by infected fruit bats.  

They said such campaigns on the social media required to be curbed sternly and strict action should be taken against those behind such propaganda.