Man with fever for 20 days kept under observation in ID Hospital

Kolkata: A mason from Murshidabad, who went to Kerala's Ernakulam for work, returned to the city and is admitted to the Beliaghata ID Hospital after he caught fever more than 20 days ago, triggering widespread panic of Nipah virus outbreak.

The victim, identified as Asif Mandal, has been kept in the isolation ward of the hospital with flu like symptoms.

The hospital authorities are yet to confirm his case of fever. Meanwhile, there was a scare of Nipah virus among some people in the state, particularly after the incident of a middle-aged contact labourer suffering from an unknown fever at a city hospital, was reported.

It may be mentioned that another contractual labourer, Safiqul Haq from the same district, who also visited Kerala, had been undergoing treatment in the hospital with fever. Haq, a resident Rejinagar in Murshidabad returned from Bangalore a few days ago with high fever.

He went to Bangalore as a contractual labourer. The state Health department has already confirmed that Haq is not affected by Nipah.

In another development, Alipore Zoological authorities have issued a notice asking the visitors and zoo workers not to eat any fruits that may be found lying on the ground inside its campus. The notification was issued after many fruits were found on the ground that are pricked by bats. A portion of area within the zoo campus is infested with bats. The notification urges people not to eat fruits by plucking them from trees. The zoo authorities termed it to be a precautionary measure following Nipah outbreak in Kerala.

A fresh tension gripped the zoo on Monday after some visitors spotted a dead bat inside a enclosure.

They immediately drew the attention of the on-duty staff members.

The dead bat was later removed from the spot. Panic sparked after fruits, pricked by the bats were found inside the zoo campus. Some of the visitors, who visited the zoo on Monday morning, demanded that the authorities must issue masks to avoid any possibility of catching the deadly virus.

The city doctors have also advised not to consume half-eaten fruits following Nipah attack in Kerala that has already created a furore across the state.

Various hospitals across the state are put on alert by the state Health department after re-emergence of the virus in India. It may be mentioned that the recent outbreak of Nipah claimed more than 10 lives in Kerala.