No need to panic over flu outbreak in China: Kerala health minister

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 4 (PTI) Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Saturday said the state government is closely monitoring the news reports about the massive outbreak of viral fever and respiratory infection in China and said there is no need to panic as of now.

In a Facebook post, George said there have been no reports so far about any virus found in China that could become pandemic or spread rapidly to other regions.

As Malayalees are there in all parts of the world and expatriates frequently come to the state, including from China, extra caution should be exercised, she said.

"We are monitoring the situation in China. If an outbreak is detected that has the potential to spread to other areas, we can check its spread very quickly," she said.

The minister also urged people, especially pregnant women, children and elderly people, to take extra vigil and asked them to wear masks.

An official source said on Friday that the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is closely monitoring respiratory and seasonal influenza cases in the country, and is in touch with international agencies in the wake of the recent reports of an outbreak of the Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) in China.

"We will continue to monitor the situation closely and validate information and developments accordingly," a senior official said.

Director General of Health Services (DGHS), Dr Atul Goel, said the Human Metapneumovirus is like any other respiratory virus which causes common cold, and it could cause flu-like symptoms in the young and the very old. PTI