A day after issuing a circular mandating Nipah negative certificates for students who come from Kerala, the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU) in Madhya Pradesh withdrew the circular after the Kerala government intervened in the matter on Friday, September 15. In a circular issued on Thursday, IGNTU proctor professor MTV Nagaraju had said that those who fail to produce a Nipah negative certificate shall not be allowed to enter the university premises, creating panic and inconvenience among the students. IGNTU had scheduled open counselling for several undergraduate and postgraduate courses on Thursday and Friday, besides which the semester classes for postgraduate students are scheduled to start from September 18.
After the circular came to light, Higher Education Minister R Bindu sent a letter to her Madhya Pradesh counterpart relaying the Kerala government’s concerns regarding the same. “Nipah has not been reported anywhere in Kerala except in a small part of Kozhikode district, which has been declared a containment zone. It may also be noted that no student at the Tribal University hails from this region. Given the scenario, the circular issued by the university will only serve to instil unnecessary fear among students in the campus and affect the higher education prospects of students from Kerala,” she said in the letter. The minister spoke to the IGNTU authorities as well, who agreed to withdraw the order.
Kerala’s Kozhikode has so far reported six Nipah cases, of which four are active. To contain the infection, the government has implemented several restrictions across the district including a bar on public meetings or events. Many areas in the district have been declared containment zones. Educational institutions in the district have also been shut down, and arrangements for online classes have been made until September 24.
Nipah is a zoonotic virus that is spread from animals such as fruit bats and infected pigs to humans. It can also be transmitted through contaminated fruits (half-eaten fruits by fruit bats), and even by direct contact with sick persons. Symptoms include fever, headache, fainting and nausea. Some experience choking, stomach pain, vomiting, fatigue and blurred vision. The patient can possibly go into a coma just two days after the symptoms begin. The chance of contracting encephalitis or inflammation of the brain is also high.