New Delhi: Union health minister Harsha Vardhan has said in the Lok Sabha that the source of the Nipah virus has been discovered. In response to Adoor Prakash and Hibi Eden, the Health Minister said the presence of the Nipah virus was detected in bats. “We have received confirmation from the Pune lab,” Harshavardhan said.
The study was carried out by experts from the National Institute of Virology, Pune and the Virology Institute, Alappuzha.
After the Nipah confirmed the student in Ernakulam, the central virology department had checked in Thodupuzha to look for a source. The bats in the area were searched. The central virologist examined the student’s residence and the college’s premises. Samples were collected in bats habitat.
In the second phase, only one person in Kerala was confirmed as affected Nipah. It was a big relief to Kerala.