Ritika Pratap 
[Source: TN]
The Ministry of Health has assured Fijians that the risk of the spread of Nipah Virus to Fiji is low.
In a statement, the Ministry says they have been monitoring the outbreak of Virus in Kozhikode District in Kerala, India, where two people have died so far and the last case was reported on September 15th.
The Ministry says the chance of its spread to Fiji is low, particularly as none of the countries in our region have reported cases.
The Ministry notes that we also do not import animals from Kerala where the virus has been detected.
However, the Ministry is stressing that it is important to maintain awareness and readiness to infectious disease threats from beyond our borders.
It says early detection of outbreaks is reliant upon the vigilance of our health professionals and effective surveillance systems to detect unusual events.
The Fiji Centre for Disease Control conducts annual Divisional Outbreak Response Team training before the rainy season for health professionals that includes early detection and rapid response to outbreaks.
The Ministry also has a number of disease surveillance systems designed to assist with early outbreak detection.
It also maintains presence at the border through the Border Health Protection Unit, with ability to scale up measures should the need arise.
Anyone who has recently travelled to Kozhikode District in Kerala India and has a fever with cough, sore throat, vomiting or body pains are urged to visit their nearest doctor.
Nipah virus was first discovered in Malaysia in 1998, where it caused an outbreak associated with transmission of the virus from infected pigs to humans.
