TN enforces strict monitoring at Kerala borders amid Nipah outbreak

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Health Department had stepped up vigil in all its districts bordering Kerala after a 12-year-old boy from Kozhikode succumbed to the Nipah virus.

The health authorities said that they are monitoring people who arrive from Kerala. Coimbatore district collector Dr GS Sameeran visited the Walayar check post on Monday to check the monitoring arrangements.

The state health department has given guidelines to district collectors and district health officers in districts bordering Kerala to ensure strict vigil at all the check posts.

The state has also constituted full-fledged medical teams at the borders with a heavy police posse guarding the check posts.

The District health officers of Kanyakumari, Theni, Tenkasi, Nilgiris, Coimbatore, and Tiruppur were instructed to ensure that screening teams were deployed on all roads bordering Kerala.

They are instructed to collect blood samples, throat swabs, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples of those who are showing symptoms of fever. All the passengers who enter the state from Kerala are subjected to fever checkups with fever surveillance clinics being set up in the medical facilities at the borders.

Rajan Warrier, an employee in a private company in Coimbatore told IANS that he was subject to a fever checkup at Walayar border. He said, "A full medical team is present at the Walayar border and I was subjected to fever monitoring. Those who show slight signs of Nipah or allied symptoms are subjected to throat swab check, urine check, blood sample, and CSF checking before being allowed to Tamil Nadu. I am an employee of a private company and once a week, I go home to Palakkad on my two-wheeler and return after two days' holidays on Saturday and Sunday."