Thiruvananthapuram, November 30: The Kerala Health and Family Welfare Department has issued a notice and asked the people to take necessary precautions against Nipah virus. The government notice comes ahead of the Nipah transmission season which begins from December till June. Nipah Virus Outbreak In Kerala: Only First Victim Infected By Bats, Other Patients Infected At Hospitals.

Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Rajeev Sadanandan has signed the circular of Health Services and Director of Medical Education and warned the public not to eat fruits bitten by bats. Nipah Virus Victim Nurse Lini's Husband Given Job By Kerala Government.

The notice also advises people to eat vegetables only after properly washing them. "We have given an alert to DMOs (District Medical Officers) asking all government hospitals to observe infection- control practices strictly," Dr V Meenakshi, Additional Director (Public Health), told PTI. Kerala Floods: Lini Puthussery's Husband Donates His First Salary, Nurse Died Fighting Nipah Virus.

The Nipah virus broke out in Permabra town of Kozhikode in Kerala and the first case was reported on 19 May 2018. The state of Kerala was put on high alert following cases of Nipah reported from various parts of the state. 19 people died across the state of Kerala due to Nipah virus outbreak.

Doctors were given training on ventilator management also. Samples of 337 patients were tested for the Nipah virus out of which 18 tested positive. Patients were kept in isolated wards, hospitals were briefed about the infection and control practices, medical and para-medical staff were given protective equipment and public awareness programmes were conducted.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 30, 2018 08:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).