GA-NIPAH-MINISTER

Nipah scare: Goa minister allays fears over travel to Kerala
    Panaji, Jun 10 (PTI) 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. PTI RPS
GK GK