65 cases of Norovirus reported till October 31 in India, govt tells Rajya Sabha

A total of 65 cases of Norovirus have been reported till October 31 in the country, of which 54 were from Wayanad and 11 from Alappuzha, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

On action taken by the government to contain Norovirus, she said a multi-disciplinary Central team was deputed when the information about this outbreak was received from Kerala to help district authorities in investigating and containing the outbreak.

Laboratory support was provided by NIV Alappuzha (ICMR) for diagnosing the outbreak by testing stool and blood samples. In accordance to technical advice provided, the state government initiated several measures, the Union minister said.

Besides surveillance to detect cases, super-chlorination of all water sources, including wells and tanks in the college campus, was undertaken.

Wells around the college were also chlorinated and health education was provided to the college inmates, staff and teachers, Pawar said.