Nipah scare: Goa minister allays fears over travel to Kerala

Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Monday allayed people's fears about travelling to Kerala in the wake of Nipah virus scare there, saying he himself would be visiting the southern state in next few days.

Rane chaired a meeting of the health department officials here to review their preparedness against the virus.

"Don't worry, I am going to Kerala in next two to three days. I am not worried about my Kerala visit. The Kerala government has succeeded in restricting the virus to two-three areas only," Rane told reporters after the meeting.

"Kerala and Goa are connected through trains and a lot of tourists come from there, so we want to take precautions," he said.

The minister said the central government has given a clear-cut protocol to control the spread of Nipah virus and it is being followed by the governments of Kerala and Goa.

Rane said an isolation room has been set up at the state-run Goa Medical College and Hospital for any viral infection case detected in the coastal state.

A case of Nipah was reported from Kerala's Ernakulum district on June 3 and the condition of the infected college student is improving, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Sunday.

He also said that no new case of Nipah virus infection has been reported in Kerala.

The Nipah virus claimed 17 lives in the southern state in May last year.