Sabarimala gold loss: No one who stole from God will be spared, says K Muraleedharan
Kerala Devaswoms Minister K Muraleedharan on Sunday said that no one involved in the Sabarimala gold loss case would be spared, irrespective of their party leanings.
Muraleedharan said that he was waiting for the report of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and, accordingly, further action would be taken.
“No one who steals from God will be spared. Whosoever they are, and whichever party they belong to, strong action will be taken against them. None of the culprits will be protected,” the minister asserted.
Speaking to reporters here, Muraleedharan, who is also in charge of the health department, further said that there was no need to be concerned about the Ebola outbreaks in other parts of the world, as no cases have been reported in India, and stringent screening systems have been set up at airports and seaports to detect early symptoms among those arriving from abroad. He said that instructions have also been issued to set up such systems in major railway stations in Kerala, as some people who came from abroad and landed in other states might travel to the southern state by train.
The minister said that isolation wards have been set up in Government medical colleges at Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode and Kannur and urged those coming from abroad to immediately contact health professionals on witnessing initial symptoms like fever, cough or diarrhoea with blood.
Muraleedharan said that according to health experts, during the first two days of Ebola infection, there will only be mild symptoms, which people tend to ignore, but by day 4, they increase in severity, and death occurs by day 12.
He said that while there was nothing to be concerned about as of now, officials have been directed to be cautious and vigilant.
There is currently no widely approved vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo Ebola virus (BDBV), one of the five known Ebola virus species.
The disease can spread from animals to humans and also through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected persons.
Mortality rates can range between 30 and 50 per cent, according to experts.
The virus is transmitted to humans from wild animals such as fruit bats, porcupines, and non-human primates, and then spreads through direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs, or other bodily fluids of infected people, as well as with contaminated surfaces and materials such as bedding and clothing.
The minister also said that the Government has decided to increase the number of doctors in Government hospitals to take better care of people who arrive there.
Besides that, a second Government medical college will be set up in Thiruvananthapuram, and a new one at Haripad, in Alappuzha district, and more facilities will be provided at the medical colleges already in existence, he said.
