A 23-year-old man admitted in a private hospital in Kochi's Ernakulam has been tested positive of Nipah virus, Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja confirmed on Tuesday morning. The samples of the man were sent to the Pune Virology Institute, which found the presence of the deadly virus in his blood. The minister said that there was no need to panic as all the precautionary measures were put into place from the time Nipah virus was suspected.
"The confirmation came in today morning. But there is no need to panic. From the time we suspected this was Nipah, we have put all measures into place," Shailaja said in a statement.
On Monday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said that the government was closely monitoring the situation and asked people to follow the instructions of the health department.