Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, visited the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV) in Pune today to assess actions taken to limit the Nipah virus epidemic in Kozhikode, Kerala. Following the review, Dr. Pawar stated that "the Government of India is monitoring the situation, and necessary steps for prevention of spread are being taken under the leadership of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and under the guidance of Hon'ble Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya."
Dr. Pawar stated that high-level teams from the Centre and ICMR-NIV, equipped with BSL-3 laboratories, have already arrived in Kozhikode and would conduct on-site testing under the supervision of Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya. She further stated that the affected Gramme Panchayats in Kozhikode have been designated quarantine zones. The Union Health Ministry has assigned a multidisciplinary team led by Dr. Mala Chhabra to assist the state in public health efforts to combat this outbreak. The Union Minister promised that the Union Health Ministry and the ICMR-NIV are monitoring the situation on a daily basis and that the federal government is making every effort to deal with the viral epidemic.
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